Word
teeny
Phoneticstee·ny
US/ˈtini/
UK/tˈiːni/
Definition
adj. extremely small. You use this word when you want to sound friendly or informal about how tiny something is.
adj. extremely small or minute. Often used to add a playful or affectionate tone to a description.
Examples
“I only want a teeny piece of cake.”
“The jeweler used a teeny screwdriver to fix the delicate mechanism of the vintage watch.”
“While the error seemed teeny in the initial calculations, it compounded over time to create a significant discrepancy in the final structural report.”
Examples
simple
“I only want a teeny piece of cake.”
contextual
“The jeweler used a teeny screwdriver to fix the delicate mechanism of the vintage watch.”
complex
“While the error seemed teeny in the initial calculations, it compounded over time to create a significant discrepancy in the final structural report.”
Usage
Typically used attributively before a noun; often used in the phrase 'teeny-weeny' for extra emphasis.
Etymology
Alteration of tiny, possibly with a childish or fanciful intention. First attested in 1825.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
teeny weeny — Alternative spelling of teeny-weeny.