as in diminutive
of a size that is less than average
a pygmy elephant
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also pigmy
1
as in dwarf
a living thing much smaller than others of its kind
hummingbirds may be the pygmies of the avian world, but what they lack in size they make up for in beauty
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in number
a person of no importance or influence
regrettably, most of the candidates for the party's nomination that year were political pygmies
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pygmy
Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
However, the researchers also note the prevalence of the two species that together accounted for more than 50% of the bites – pygmy rattlesnakes and cottonmouths.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
Other findings include a pygmy pipehorse, barnacle and sea star.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2025
Our palm panoply extends to the ritzy Canary Island date palm, the pygmy date and windmill palms, and a mini-monarchy of queen and king palms, which look a little haphazardly asymmetrical.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pygmy
Noun
Common hippos usually give birth underwater, but pygmy hippos can be born on land or in water.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
However, the researchers also note the prevalence of the two species that together accounted for more than 50% of the bites – pygmy rattlesnakes and cottonmouths.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
Other findings include a pygmy pipehorse, barnacle and sea star.
—Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2025
Our palm panoply extends to the ritzy Canary Island date palm, the pygmy date and windmill palms, and a mini-monarchy of queen and king palms, which look a little haphazardly asymmetrical.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pygmy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pygmy
Adjective
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Their double act had begun at secondary school, in North London, where Mulcahy protected the diminutive Duffy from bullies.—
Sarah Beckwith,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025
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With that hardware, the diminutive DGX Spark will produce 1,000 trillion operations per second (TOPS) when working on AI tasks, vastly outperforming consumer AI PCs' 40-50 TOPS.—
Brian Westover,
PC Magazine,
24 May 2025
Noun
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Tell me a little bit about the technical side of filming a dwarf and an elf together.—
Devan Coggan,
EW.com,
13 Oct. 2022
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Other new characters include Disa, the first female dwarf ever shown in the Lord of the Rings series.—
Ethan Millman,
Rolling Stone,
22 July 2022
Noun
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As Anti-Trans Laws Get More Extreme, Here’s Where State Laws Stand in 2025 Tracking the emerging trends, firsts, and surprises this year as statehouse Republicans brought a record-breaking number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills.—
Samantha Riedel,
Them.,
29 May 2025
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That was a really big number to hit without a radio hit to drive it.—
Deborah Evans Price,
Billboard,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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To meet rising demand, companies sprang up and began churning out rides – smaller versions for traveling carnivals and larger ones for town squares and amusement parks.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
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The second season of HBO's zombie smash ends with battles both big and small, a major death, and a time rewind.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
26 May 2025
Noun
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Pour the sauce over and gently toss with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the shrimp and avocado are thoroughly coated.—
Janelle Davis,
CNN,
7 Feb. 2023
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Brine shrimp are a critical food source for the aquaculture industry.—
Evan Bush,
NBC News,
21 Jan. 2023
Noun
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The restaurant violated 15 standards, including dead insects in back dry storage area and a mattress in the dumpster area.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
23 May 2025
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And Swainson’s hawks have been known to follow behind tractors and other farm equipment to nab insects and rodents that get flushed out.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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The musical features a scene about little Sarah making her joke about Jeffrey’s death and no one laughing.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
18 May 2025
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On the comparable activities, there was little in the way of either selling horses or otherwise disposing of them.—
Peter J Reilly,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2025
Noun
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Most of the movie is a vaguely comical swipe at Napoleon in domestic life—an awkward lover, a jealous husband, an inveterate complainer, and in sum an annoying twerp.—
Kyle Smith,
WSJ,
21 Nov. 2023
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Kind of a little twerp, now and again.—
Ashley Fetters Maloy,
Washington Post,
7 Nov. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Pygmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pygmy. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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