ENGLISH
REFERENCE

midget

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈmɪdʒət// UK //mˈɪdʒɪt// midget Archaic Vulgar

n. an extremely small person. This word is now considered very offensive and you should avoid using it to describe people.

n. a person of exceptionally small stature. Highly offensive in contemporary usage; the term is widely rejected by the community it describes in favour of 'person with dwarfism' or 'little person'.


SIMPLE

The term midget is now considered a slur.

CONTEXTUAL

Advocacy groups have spent decades explaining why the word midget is harmful and should be removed from public discourse.

Synonyms
Origin

From midge (chiefly in the figurative sense of “small thing”, literally “small fly”) + -et (diminutive suffix), (from Old English myċġ (“mosquito”), from Proto-Germanic mugjō, from Proto-Indo-European mus-, mu-, mew-; cognate with Dutch mug (“mosquito”) and German Mücke (“midge, gnat”)).

Usage

Highly offensive; avoid in all professional and social contexts.

Pitfall

He is a midgetHe is a person with dwarfismThe headword is considered a slur; use 'person with dwarfism' or 'little person' to be respectful.

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