miniature

1 of 2

noun

min·​i·​a·​ture ˈmi-nē-ə-ˌchu̇r How to pronounce miniature (audio) ˈmi-ni-ˌchu̇r How to pronounce miniature (audio)
ˈmin-yə-,
-chər,
-ˌtyu̇r,
-ˌtu̇r
1
a
: a copy on a much reduced scale
The designer displayed a miniature of the Washington, D.C. Mall.
b
: something small of its kind
The little boy looked like his father in miniature.
2
: a painting in an illuminated (see illuminate entry 1 sense 4) book or manuscript
3
: the art of painting miniatures
The artist excelled in miniature.
4
: a very small portrait or other painting (as on ivory or metal)
The lady wore a locket containing a miniature of her mother.
miniaturist
ˈmi-nē-ə-ˌchu̇r-ist
ˈmi-ni-ˌchu̇r- How to pronounce miniature (audio)
-chər-
-ˌtyu̇r-
-ˌtu̇r-
noun
miniaturistic
ˌmi-nē-ə-chə-ˈri-stik How to pronounce miniature (audio)
ˌmi-ni-
ˌmin-yə-
-ˌtyu̇-
-ˌtu̇-
adjective

miniature

2 of 2

adjective

: being or represented on a small scale
Phrases
in miniature
: in a greatly diminished size, form, or scale

Did you know?

How Miniature Came to Mean What It Does

The word miniature is about size, and specifically, small size. But its Latin ancestor concerned not size, but color.

In the era before the invention of the printing press, anything printed was printed by hand: someone pressed a pigmented point to a surface and left marks. People used black pigment mostly, but sometimes they used red, especially for titles, large initial letters, and decorative drawings. The Latin name for the red coloring—which was either cinnabar or red lead—was minium, and the corresponding verb meaning "to color with minium" was miniare.

In early Italian, the association of decorative drawings with miniare was so strong that the meaning of miniare was broadened until it simply meant "to decorate a manuscript." A noun form of the word, miniatura, was used to refer to the art of illuminating—that is, of adding illustrations to—a manuscript, regardless of the colors used. Since the illuminations in manuscripts (as the illustrations themselves are called) were small by comparison with most other paintings, miniatura came to refer not only to a manuscript illumination but to any small portrait or painting, and eventually to anything very small. English speakers had adopted the word as miniature by the 16th century.

Choose the Right Synonym for miniature

small, little, diminutive, minute, tiny, miniature mean noticeably below average in size.

small and little are often interchangeable, but small applies more to relative size determined by capacity, value, number.

a relatively small backyard

little is more absolute in implication often carrying the idea of petiteness, pettiness, insignificance, or immaturity.

your pathetic little smile

diminutive implies abnormal smallness.

diminutive bonsai plants

minute implies extreme smallness.

a minute amount of caffeine in the soda

tiny is an informal equivalent to minute.

tiny cracks formed in the painting

miniature applies to an exactly proportioned reproduction on a very small scale.

a dollhouse with miniature furnishings

Examples of miniature in a Sentence

Noun a diorama filled with miniatures of town buildings as they looked in the 19th century Adjective a collection of miniature books The little boy looks like a miniature version of his father.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
From the artfully bulging upper windows of the towering Elbphilharmonie complex, the city of Hamburg stretches out in seeming miniature — a vast industrial expanse of cranes, drawbridges and the purple breath of distant smokestacks. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 The annual Gasparilla Pirate Fest takes place in late January and is a big draw for what’s essentially a massive alfresco party, but note hotel prices surge over this weekend and the crowds tend to be on the rowdier side (think Mardi Gras in miniature). Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 25 Feb. 2024 But despite the headache, the miniatures had their charms. Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 8 Dec. 2023 The jeweled miniature, a copy of Britain’s Imperial State Crown, is part of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, on display at Windsor Castle outside London, where the everyday objects, luxuries and curiosities of royal life in the early 20th century are reproduced at one-twelfth scale. Megan Specia, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024 The caricature of a 1950s-style suburban house, in miniature, speaks to something in the American identity that equates being a homeowner with having your own space that’s separating you from others. Alena Botros, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2024 If the burning — of homes, of cars, of people — represented a Holocaust in miniature, then Be’eri in its current state resembled nothing so much as a living Holocaust memorial. David Harsanyi, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024 Finally, the Haunted Mansion Parlor boasts new, exclusive merchandise, from miniatures of the venue's distinctive music box and mantle clock to a mug engraved with spooky sea life and a small mirror that flashes images of hitchhiking ghosts. EW.com, 24 Oct. 2023 Herring is a version in miniature of his stage persona, head tossed back, that otherworldly voice slipping out. Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2024
Adjective
Yada’s training program includes a javelin and miniature soccer balls but no weights. Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 And dangling from her device are three miniature classic Pokémon: Pikachu, Ditto, and Poliwag. Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024 That incident came to mind when my 9-year-old son pulled a similar stunt with me, informing me of an assignment where he was tasked to make his own miniature Thanksgiving Parade balloon float. Kristina Behr, Parents, 11 Mar. 2024 Entrees are designed to be shared, come on large trays and might be accompanied by a miniature version of L’Air, an Aristide Maillol nude sculpture that’s displayed at the Getty. Andy Wang, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Among the colorful festivities happening across New Orleans during the Carnival season, a bystander spotted three men tossing around what appeared to be a miniature football, according to a Louisiana nonprofit. Makiya Seminera, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2024 Families prepare miniature floats for their babies to ride following the year’s theme. Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Mar. 2024 Even in miniature, three-dimensional drapes, silhouettes, and finishes were more evocative of the final product than simple sketches and swatches. Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 28 Feb. 2024 There was a miniature tart not much larger than a bottle cap, filled with firm raw fluke, maitake mushrooms glazed with Madeira, and crunchy threads of leek. Pete Wells, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'miniature.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian miniatura art of illuminating a manuscript, from Medieval Latin, from Latin miniatus, past participle of miniare to color with minium, from minium red lead

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1714, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of miniature was circa 1586

Dictionary Entries Near miniature

Cite this Entry

“Miniature.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miniature. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

miniature

1 of 2 noun
min·​ia·​ture
ˈmin-ē-ə-ˌchu̇(ə)r,
ˈmin-i-ˌchu̇(ə)r,
ˈmin-yə-,
-chər
1
: something much smaller than the usual size
especially : a copy on a much reduced scale
2
: a very small portrait or painting (as on ivory)
3
: the art of painting miniatures
miniaturist
-ˌchu̇r-əst
-chər-
noun

miniature

2 of 2 adjective
: very small : represented on a small scale
collects miniature books
Etymology

Noun

from Italian miniatura "a fancy big letter or small picture used to decorate a page of a book copied by hand," derived from Latin miniare "to color with red pigment"; so called because the first fancy letters on books were done in red to stand out from the black ink of the rest of the page

More from Merriam-Webster on miniature

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