tinyti‧ny /ˈtaɪni/ ●●● S2 W2 adjective (comparative tinier, superlative tiniest) 
extremely small: 
a tiny community in the Midwest The earrings were tiny. a tiny little baby She always felt a tiny bit sad. Bad teachers are a tiny minority. tiny pieces of paper► see thesaurus at small
WORD ORIGINtiny
Origin:
1500-1600 tine ‘very small’ (15-17 centuries)EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A tiny old lady answered the door.
- a tiny village in the mountains
- Have you seen Vic's apartment? It's tiny.
- I've made one or two tiny alterations, but otherwise the house is the same as when I bought it.
- Inflation increased a tiny 0.2% in November.
- Luke put out his hand and touched the tiny fingers of his baby daughter.
- Millions of people buy lottery tickets, but only a tiny majority ever win anything.
- Only a tiny fraction of our profit comes from book sales.
- She's tiny, but she belts out these old blues songs like you wouldn't believe.
- She was holding a tiny little baby in her arms.
- The box was full of tiny little blue and white beads.
- The proportion of babies that suffer from the disease is tiny.
- There's been a tiny decrease in the number of people out of work.
- They look so funny together. She's really tiny and her husband's about six foot five.
- You only need to use a tiny amount of salt.
- A tiny amount laced in a letter can be lethal.
- He noticed that when she saw him, a tiny sparkle came into her eyes and her lips trembled a little.
- Rory sucked at the tiny wound and spat, trying to remove any dirt.
- She gripped hard with her knees and tried to roll with the tiny plodding hooves.
- She looked again at the tiny hut.
- The smallest goat went over the bridge first, and his hooves made a tiny trip-trap sound.
- These tiny havens are where the wildlife you see in your neighborhood retreat.
THESAURUSvery small
very small – used about objects, numbers, or amounts: · a tiny island· Dairy foods provide your body with a tiny amount of vitamin D.
informal very small – used for emphasis: · I’ll just have a teeny bit of cream.· There’s just one teeny little problem.· a teeny little house
extremely small and extremely difficult to see or notice: · They found minute traces of poison in his body.· The differences are minute.· minute creatures
a miniature camera, watch, railway etc is made in a very small size. A miniature horse, dog etc is bred to be a very small size: · The spy used a miniature camera.· the fashion for miniature pets
extremely small and impossible to see without special equipment: · microscopic organisms· microscopic particles of dust
extremely small in a surprising way: · She was wearing a minuscule bikini.· The threat from terrorism is minuscule compared to other risks in our lives.
[only before noun] American English informal very small: · An itty-bitty little bug crawled across his forehead.· We stayed at some itty-bitty hotel in a back street.
Longman Language Activatorvery short · A tiny old lady answered the door.· She's tiny, but she belts out these old blues songs like you wouldn't believe.· They look so funny together. She's really tiny and her husband's about six foot five.tiny little informal · She was holding a tiny little baby in her arms.
written unusually small and thin: · Peter was a shy, diminutive man who seldom said anything to anyone.· A diminutive figure appeared in the doorway.
small numbers/amounts · There wasn't really much I could buy with such a small amount.· Only a small number of people eventually turned up.· The level of radiation in the atmosphere is really very small.
: low prices, wages, levels etc are less than usual or less than they should be: · It's a good time to buy a computer, because prices are low.· Farm workers are complaining about long hours and low wages.· Low interest rates mean good news for home owners.
a tiny number or amount is extremely small: · Only a tiny fraction of our profit comes from book sales.· You only need to use a tiny amount of salt.· The proportion of babies that suffer from the disease is tiny.a tiny majority (=a very small number of a much larger group): · Millions of people buy lottery tickets, but only a tiny majority ever win anything.
a minute amount is extremely small, and is often so small that it makes very little difference to something: · Only minute amounts of the chemical were found in the water supply.· The substance is so toxic that even a minute dose of it could be fatal.
small and not making much difference to something · I want to make a few small changes to the design.· There is still one small problem that we haven't dealt with.· Government statistics showed a small drop in the annual rate of inflation.
small and not very important or not very noticeable: · There has been a slight change of plan.· The doctor says there has been a slight improvement in her condition.· He was a good friend - always available to help at the slightest sign of need.not the slightest (=none at all): · Tom? I haven't the slightest idea where he is.· US foreign policy at the time hadn't made the slightest difference in the situation.
not important enough or serious enough to worry about: · She fell off her horse, but suffered only minor injuries.· The contract seems fine, except for a few minor details.· With one or two minor changes, the course is the same as last year.
an infinitesimal amount, risk etc is so small that it makes very little difference or is not worth worrying about: · Even an infinitesimal change in temperature will be recorded by the equipment.· I'd say the chances of your catching the disease are infinitesimal.
extremely small: · I've made one or two tiny alterations, but otherwise the house is the same as when I bought it.· There's been a tiny decrease in the number of people out of work.
a change or difference that is minute is so small that it is difficult to see it or notice any effects resulting from it: · The equipment records minute changes in air pressure.
extremely small in size · Have you seen Vic's apartment? It's tiny.· Luke put out his hand and touched the tiny fingers of his baby daughter.· a tiny village in the mountainstiny little · The box was full of tiny little blue and white beads.
extremely small and difficult to see: · Police found minute traces of blood on the car seats.· Her writing's so minute that it's difficult to read.· The problem was caused by minute particles of dust getting in the disk drive.
a lot smaller than usual, especially in a way that seems surprising: · Compared to its adult size, a new-born kangaroo is minuscule.· The pool was surrounded by bronzed girls wearing minuscule bikinis.
an object or living creature that is microscopic is so small that it is difficult or impossible to see without using special equipment: · The skin is covered with microscopic hairs, invisible to the naked eye.· A primitive form of microscopic life may have existed on Mars billions of years ago.· Many of these organisms are microscopic in size.
very small, but made just like something of normal size: · Next to the beach there's a miniature railway.· The locket contained a miniature portrait of her late husband.· a miniature TV with a 2 inch screen
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY a tiny little baby She always felt a tiny bit sad. Bad teachers are a tiny minority. tiny pieces of paperCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a tiny amount of dirt
a tiny little baby She always felt a tiny bit sad. Bad teachers are a tiny minority. tiny pieces of paper a tiny amount of dirt· The floor was covered in tiny bits of glass.
· He lived all his life in a small cottage by the river.
· tiny creatures such as mice
· Her handwriting was so tiny I couldn’t read it without my glasses.
(=very small)· The air was filled with thousands of tiny insects.
spoken (=extremely small) a little tiny puppy
a little tiny puppy· Only a tiny minority of the population actually commit crimes.
(=very small)· Only a tiny number of these animals remain in the wild.
(=very small)· This truly great wine is only made in tiny quantities.
· They come from a small village in Laos.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· I was fortunate that there was a house available for me, even though it is so tiny.· A lot of wilderness areas are so tiny.· Would Andrew Cartboy, so tiny and sallow, become a Dynmouth Hard?· Because they are so tiny their own few offspring grow up uncrowded, well fed-and large.· She knew it came from far back, because she felt so tiny on the rug, looking up at huge shapes.· She was so tiny and so frail, and her eyes saw something that was visible to no one else.· The baby - you - was only ten days old. So tiny, so perfect, and all that dark hair!
· Some species are very tiny, and encrust other shells.· Up until the early 1980s, the only people able to use personal computers were a very tiny elite.· Although it occupies much space, it is very tiny.· We put in at a very tiny stream that would lead to the main waterway.· Day schooling was received by only a minority of children from the labouring classes, in some parishes a very tiny one.· She's very tiny, even smaller than me!· Poor circulation in the hands and feet is usually caused by a narrowing of the very tiny blood capillaries.· Others say he needs a very tiny brain.
NOUN· If you dislike the aroma, you have only wasted a tiny amount of essential oil.· A tiny amount laced in a letter can be lethal.· You will find a tiny amount will go a long way.· In this form of diabetes, the pancreas stops making insulin or makes only a tiny amount.· Garlic, for example, must only be used in tiny amounts or it will blister the skin.· He takes the bottle from Julio, holds it close to his eyes and examines the tiny amount of rum remaining.· Vitamins and minerals are only needed in tiny amounts for good health.· A shower of debris including tiny amounts of blood from torn retinal vessels causes floaters.
· After having a baby, the usual feelings are relief, joy, tiredness, and overwhelming love for the tiny baby.· A woman holds a tiny baby.· There is a kind of miracle about the birth of any tiny baby which makes us suspend our critical stance.· The smaller adults give birth to tiny babies again, and so the weakness is inherited.· Garments, blankets and shawls were knitted specially to fit the tiny babies in the Unit.· But when I was a little tiny baby, we travelled all the time.· She was a tiny baby called Lourdes Periera aged eighteen months.· I'd never even held a tiny baby let alone changed a nappy or supervised bath time.
· But still easy enough to get it just a tiny bit wrong.· And maybe a tiny bit drunk?· It made her feel strong, invincible almost, and just a tiny bit as if she had drunk too much wine.· Which raises our opinion of Aldridge -- at least a tiny bit.· There's something slightly unbalanced about the whole composition, as if there's a tiny bit missing somewhere.· One thing Abdul-Rauf has done is make us all think just a tiny bit.· A tiny bit inhaled by some one would be lethal.· She looked healthy and young and a tiny bit awkward.
· Idealising his tall, slender ladies, he dwells lovingly on tiny feet from which their champions remove dainty shoes.· His tiny feet in their clumsy boots came down tippy-toe, pushed against the floor, and floated upward again.· Something with hundreds of tiny feet.· Dear Raju, how can I thank you enough for the sensitivity of your soul and of your tiny feet?· Everyone has tiny feet and nice squashed-up bones.· He smiled suddenly at her tiny feet encased in shiny, high-heeled pumps.
· The cases reported to Hoffman-La Roche I believe are a tiny fraction of all reactions.· But the passengers are only a tiny fraction of the population, basically its middle class.· But the companies are having to point out once again the tiny fraction of land they take up on relation to the whole.· It is good to recall that astronomers cover only a tiny fraction of the sky at any time.· Its area is a tiny fraction of that occupied by the 21 hostile Arab states.· Most new radical ideas in science turn out to be incorrect; only a tiny fraction turn out to be correct.· As you can see from Table 16.2, they account for a tiny fraction of total assets.· In other words, Salomon carved a tiny fraction out of each financial transaction.
· Each time we crossed the causeway over to the tiny island of Reine, we paused and photographed.· Sunrise engulfs the tiny island, dawn all around us.· An animal that once ranged over thousands of miles is forced to migrate to a tiny island.· Sepulchers face the sea, as on the mainland, but on this tiny island death seems everywhere.· It would have filled in the lake that had always separated their tiny island from the mainland.· The tiny island is now a National Nature Reserve, famous for seabirds and seals.· Already the national press and media were gathering in this tiny island.
· The $ 100, 000-plus cost of a Harvard or Yale undergraduate degree affects only a tiny minority.· And how hard it is to train even this tiny minority!· But it is only a tiny minority that is likely to move.· For the sake of a tiny minority of possible abusers, the cyclist is being unreasonably inconvenienced.· But, surprisingly, when individuals were asked whether they felt this about themselves only tiny minorities admitted to such a feeling.· He was told only a tiny minority of extremists would object.· In a tiny minority of cases mistakes have been made.· Parts of me thought all this was nonsense, but they were in a tiny minority.
· He took the tiny piece of crumpled paper from his top pocket and unfolded it.· Every tiny piece of business is something it wants, as well it should for the sake of its stockholders.· Others were tiny pieces of polyvinyl-chloride insulated plastic covering, source identified.· It made our hands and fingers itch, but the tiny pieces of red flesh were delicious.· There was quite a good helping of pudding but only a tiny piece of meat.· The Hawk is a tiny piece of the Machine.· But last night's momentous happenings had shattered those feelings into tiny pieces.· Jakhaila Miracle Braxton is resting her 3-pound-something body on a tiny piece of sheepskin in an incubator at Mercy Hospital.
· Burglary - where it's reckoned that a only tiny proportion are ever caught - nets £590 million.· Nutmeg costs a tiny proportion of income, even for a poor family.· The Third was a highbrow station, with a tiny proportion of the audience.· Those prices concern only a tiny proportion of world output and consumption.· They represent only a tiny proportion of the people who get housing assistance from Washington.· In certain areas of higher education - physics and engineering, for example - they make up a tiny proportion of students.· Since sperm only constitute a tiny proportion of the seminal fluid this is not even noticeable.
· It also meant that the boys could see in and witness the general untidiness of his tiny room.· If you have the urge to burst into tears-do it in the privacy of a tiny room in some mountain retreat somewhere.· It was a tiny room, shaped rather like a ridge tent.· In the tiny room he took a seat among old ladies in a row of folding chairs.· Hodgesaargh the falconer was getting ready in the tiny room next door when he felt the change in the air.· The tiny room was jammed with bookcases, papers, posters, an aquarium and a computer.· But it was horrible being in one tiny room.· A metal cage encased the weight-lifting area, which consisted of two tiny rooms.
· Oh yeah, I think it's a little tiny town somewhere up towards the Territory.· In those moments he tells audiences about his hardscrabble, Depression-era childhood in the tiny town of Russell, Kan.· Police recently uncovered a ring that was selling crack through two girls living in the tiny town of Downs, population 620.· John is the product of a tiny town in Nor h Carolina.· Torrington, a tiny town, became a focus of Britain.
· San Mamete is a tiny village nestling prettily amidst unspoilt countryside - between lush foothills and the glistening lake.· It is their little tribe, their tiny village.· Miri Ismailov's family in the tiny village of Tatoni are convinced that they know what it is.· The plane was taking the family to the tiny village of Wainwright, 90 miles southwest of Barrow.· Once a week or so accordion music sounds will make feet itch under a canopy of stars in the tiny village square.· We stopped that night in a tiny village in the desert.· Passing through a tiny village called Babylon, the buildings are shabby and unkempt.· It twisted through a dozen towns and tiny villages.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
- Are we going to hear the patter of tiny feet?
extremely small: a tiny community in the Midwest The earrings were tiny. a tiny little baby She always felt a tiny bit sad. Bad teachers are a tiny minority. tiny pieces of paper► see thesaurus at small