# dwarf

/ˈdwɔɹf/ (US) · /dwˈɔːf/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dwarf
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. mythology

noun · CEFR B1

a small, strong creature in fantasy stories who often lives underground and works with metal.

For teachers: a member of a race of beings from Germanic folklore, typically depicted as short, bearded, and skilled in smithing.

- In the movie, the dwarf lived in a mountain and made beautiful gold jewellery.
- The author drew heavily on Norse mythology, portraying the dwarf as a master craftsman capable of forging magical weapons for the gods.

### 3. astronomy

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a type of star that is relatively small and not very bright.

For teachers: a star of relatively small size and low luminosity.

- Our sun is actually classified as a yellow dwarf star.
- The white dwarf represents the final evolutionary state of stars whose mass is not high enough to become a neutron star.

### 4. to make look small

verb · CEFR B2

to be so big that you make everything else around you look very small.

For teachers: to cause something to appear small or insignificant by being much larger or more important.

- The new skyscraper dwarfs all the other buildings in the city.
- The scale of the humanitarian crisis threatened to dwarf the resources currently available to the local aid agencies.

### 5. miniature

adjective · CEFR B2

much smaller than the usual size for that type of plant or animal.

For teachers: denoting a species or variety of animal or plant much smaller than the typical size.

- We planted a dwarf apple tree in our small backyard because it doesn't grow too tall.
- The gardener recommended a dwarf variety of the shrub to ensure it would not obstruct the view from the ground-floor windows.

## Examples

- The gardener planted a dwarf apple tree in the small backyard.
- In many classic fairy tales, the dwarf is portrayed as a wise but grumpy guardian of mountain treasures.
- The discovery of a dwarf planet beyond Pluto forced astronomers to reconsider the criteria for what constitutes a major celestial body within our solar system.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.