teeny-tiny

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparableinformalhumorous

   Extremely small, said in a playful or affectionate way.

   Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: a teeny-tiny house; the shoes are teeny-tiny.

   Patterns

   • a teeny-tiny something
   • be teeny-tiny

   The puppy had teeny-tiny paws that barely made a sound.

   There was only a teeny-tiny piece of cake left.

   She found a teeny-tiny shell on the beach.

2. 2adjectivenot comparableinformal

   Hardly any in amount, size or importance, often used to downplay something.

   Grammar: Used to soften a request or claim: a teeny-tiny favor.

   Patterns

   • a teeny-tiny bit

   Could I ask a teeny-tiny favor?

   He made one teeny-tiny mistake, and the whole recipe failed.

   I added a teeny-tiny pinch of salt.

Common combinations

teeny-tiny bit

I'm a teeny-tiny bit nervous about the test.

teeny-tiny voice

She spoke in a teeny-tiny voice from behind the door.

teeny-tiny house

They live in a teeny-tiny house near the river.

teeny-tiny spider

A teeny-tiny spider crawled along the page.

teeny-tiny details

The model had teeny-tiny details painted by hand.

Synonyms and how they differ

tiny

This is neutral and works in any setting, while teeny-tiny is playful and exaggerated.

minuscule

This is more formal and suggests precise, extreme smallness, whereas teeny-tiny sounds cute.

itsy-bitsy

This is even more childlike and is often used in songs and with babies.

minute

This is a formal word for very small, pronounced differently from the time unit, and lacks the charm of teeny-tiny.

Opposites

Word family

teeny adjective

very small

tiny adjective

very small

teensy adjective

very small, another playful form

teeny-weeny adjective

a playful variant

Commonly confused: teeny-tiny or teenie?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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