puny

[ pyoo-nee ]
See synonyms for: punypuniness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,pu·ni·er, pu·ni·est.
  1. of less than normal size and strength; weak.

  2. unimportant; insignificant; petty or minor: a puny excuse.

  1. Obsolete. puisne.

Origin of puny

1
First recorded in 1540–50; spelling variant of puisne

Other words from puny

  • pu·ni·ly, adverb
  • pu·ni·ness, noun

Words Nearby puny

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use puny in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for puny

puny

/ (ˈpjuːnɪ) /


adjective-nier or -niest
  1. having a small physique or weakly constitution

  2. paltry; insignificant

Origin of puny

1
C16: from Old French puisne puisne

Derived forms of puny

  • punily, adverb
  • puniness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012