# Tiny

/ˈtaɪni/ (US) · /tˈaɪni/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/tiny
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. very small

adjective · CEFR A2

extremely small in size or amount.

For teachers: extremely small; diminutive in scale or quantity.

- The baby had tiny fingers that curled around my hand.
- The biologist spent hours examining the tiny organisms under a microscope to identify the specific strain of bacteria.

Usage: As a gradable adjective, it is frequently modified by 'absolutely' or 'so' rather than 'very', as the word itself implies an extreme.

### 2. a small child

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal · British English

a very young child or baby.

For teachers: a small child or infant; often used in the plural 'tinies' to refer to a group of very young children.

- The nursery school has a separate play area for the tinies.
- The community centre organised a morning session specifically for the tinies, providing soft play equipment and sensory toys.

Usage: Usually used in the plural form in educational or childcare contexts.

### 3. a nickname

noun · CEFR B1 · Humorous · Informal

a name given to someone, often ironically if they are actually very large.

For teachers: a common nickname, frequently applied ironically to individuals of exceptionally large stature.

- Everyone at the gym calls the six-foot-tall weightlifter Tiny.
- In a classic display of ironic naming, the largest man in the village was known to everyone simply as Tiny.

Teaching tip: Explain to students that calling a large person 'Tiny' is a common form of English irony.

## Examples

- The baby has tiny fingers and toes.
- We stayed in a tiny apartment in the city center that barely had room for a bed.
- Even a tiny error in the initial calculations can lead to significant structural failures once the building reaches its full height.

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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.