as in diminutive
of a size that is less than average
a pygmy elephant
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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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of pygmy
Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024
But for a few hours a day, the 4-month-old pygmy hippo springs to life, gumming on leaves, zooming around the compound and tossing her head in a silent, open-mouthed roar.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2024
Moctezuma, who was first spotted in 1992, has been seen hunting other elasmobranch species such as the Munk’s pygmy devil ray, which is 1 meter (3.2 feet) wide, bull sharks and stingrays.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 29 Nov. 2024
The smallest rabbit, the pygmy, weighs only a pound — while the Flemish giant rabbit can reach 4 feet long and 22 pounds.
—Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pygmy 
Noun
Who even knew what a pygmy hippo was before encountering this glossy, compact mammal?
—Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024
But for a few hours a day, the 4-month-old pygmy hippo springs to life, gumming on leaves, zooming around the compound and tossing her head in a silent, open-mouthed roar.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2024
Moctezuma, who was first spotted in 1992, has been seen hunting other elasmobranch species such as the Munk’s pygmy devil ray, which is 1 meter (3.2 feet) wide, bull sharks and stingrays.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 29 Nov. 2024
The smallest rabbit, the pygmy, weighs only a pound — while the Flemish giant rabbit can reach 4 feet long and 22 pounds.
—Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 6 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pygmy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pygmy
Adjective
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These are diminutive soft-bodied crustaceans that live in an oyster’s gills.Jennifer Hope Choi, Bon Appétit, 13 Dec. 2024
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The thousands of news articles profiling her over the years rarely failed to mention her diminutive size, juxtaposing the seeming frailty of her 105-pound frame with her fiery prose.Amber Hunt, The Enquirer, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Emperor tamarins are dwarf monkeys with whiskers that resemble a white moustache.Robert Higgs, cleveland, 1 Feb. 2023
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The dwarf variety grows to be about 5 to 7 feet, ideal for a small garden or accent in a room with limited space.Bryce Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Jan. 2023
Noun
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That number includes current Alabama players who have yet to make NFL decisions.Kennington Smith III, The Athletic, 18 Dec. 2024
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For the first time, neighborhoods could not only measure and visualize their carbon emissions but also advocate for change using a language that no one could ignore: hard numbers.Marina Lopes, TIME, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Not as jam-packed as popular South Beach, North Beach is home to the Tybee Marine Science Center which educates visitors about marine life and protects the smallest of creatures, the nesting turtles.Judy Garrison, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2024
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In the spirit of looking back on the previous season and remembering all the moments big and small that defined it, here is a compendium of tennis stories of all kinds from The Athletic’s tennis writers, Matt Futterman and Charlie Eccleshare, with a few guest appearances.Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024
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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Elsewhere, humans are waging war against other kinds of invasive insects.Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Dec. 2024
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In this, people are the amplifying hosts, and the virus is transmitted between them by blood-eating insects.Geraldine Castro, WIRED, 20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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There was a woeful miss that afternoon which was clearly the product of a forward who has had little meaningful opportunity of late and who had far too much time to think about what to do when one-on-one with Bart Verbruggen.Matt Woosnam, The Athletic, 19 Dec. 2024
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At the same time, leaders have little confidence in their performance management systems, according to Gallup.Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024
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
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Cite this Entry
“Pygmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pygmy. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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