I wouldn't mess with him—he makes bodybuilders look puny in comparison.
We laughed at their puny attempt to trick us.
Recent Examples on the WebAmong the tasks on her to-do list: creating a more seamless indoor-outdoor living experience; expanding the puny kitchen; and converting a lengthy upstairs hallway into a master retreat and trio of children’s bedrooms for her four sons.—Wendy Bowman For Dirt.com, Robb Report, 19 Aug. 2021 Patel plays Kid, an underground fighter collecting a puny living in a fictional Indian city where an authoritarian regime has unleashed widespread sectarian violence.—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2024 Too puny to be observed with a backyard telescope, Jupiter’s dusty wreath remained undetected for a long time.—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 May 2024 The Bay Area and California both added jobs in April, but the gains were puny and sketch a picture of an ominously feeble employment market, a new report shows.—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 17 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for puny
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'puny.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Anglo-French puisné younger, weakly, literally, born afterward, from puis afterward + né born
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