miniature

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a noun

   Much smaller than the normal size of its kind, often as a deliberate copy or model.

   Grammar: Usually comes directly before a noun: a miniature version, miniature roses. It is not normally used after a verb.

   Patterns

   • a miniature version of something
   • miniature + plural noun

   She keeps a miniature version of the Eiffel Tower on her desk.

   The garden has a miniature railway that children love to ride.

   He bought a miniature camera that fits in his shirt pocket.

2. 2nouncountable

   A very small copy or model of a person, thing, or scene.

   Grammar: Countable, so you can say a miniature or several miniatures; the plural is miniatures.

   Patterns

   • a miniature of someone/something
   • a collection of miniatures

   The museum displays a miniature of the old town as it looked in 1800.

   She paints miniatures of birds on tiny pieces of ivory.

   Among his miniatures is a perfect little silver chair.

3. 3nouncountablespecialist

   A small picture, especially a painted portrait, in an old manuscript or locket.

   Grammar: Countable and rather specialist; most often found in art or history writing.

   Patterns

   • a painted miniature
   • a portrait miniature

   The exhibition includes a painted miniature of the queen from 1600.

   He wore a miniature of his wife inside his watch case.

Word forms

Common combinations

miniature version

This is a miniature version of the real bridge, built to scale.

miniature golf

We played miniature golf on the pier last weekend.

miniature poodle

Their miniature poodle is small enough to carry in a bag.

in miniature

The whole city, in miniature, can be seen in the model room.

miniature painting

Miniature painting requires a very steady hand.

Synonyms and how they differ

tiny

Tiny simply means very small; miniature suggests a small copy of something normally bigger.

small-scale

Small-scale describes size or extent in general, while miniature stresses that it is a reduced model or version.

mini

Mini is informal and often used for products (a mini skirt); miniature is more formal and often means a model.

Opposites

Word family

miniaturist noun

An artist who paints very small pictures.

miniaturize verb

To make something in a very small form, especially electronic equipment.

miniaturization noun

The process of making things very small, as in electronics.

Commonly confused: miniature or minute? miniature or minimum?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “miniature”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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