miniature

miniature — adjective

1. referring to something built or produced as a very small version of a real objec

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

referring to something built or produced as a very small version of a real object; much smaller than the normal size for that type of thing.

Example

Quan collected miniature trains and displayed them on shelves in his bedroom.

collocation: miniature trains / miniature cars

At the fair, miniature versions of famous landmarks were sold as souvenirs.

passive: miniature + noun as modifier

Common collocations
  • miniature train
  • miniature model
  • miniature version
  • miniature landscape
  • miniature sandwich
Synonyms
  • tiny

    more general; does not imply a copy or replica

  • small-scale

    more formal; used for models, plans, or projects

  • compact

    suggests efficient use of space, not an exact replica

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

miniature + noun

miniature — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

"Tiny" is the most general word for extreme smallness — it does not imply a copy or replica relationship. "Mini" is an informal clipping of "miniature" used only before nouns (a mini fridge, mini skirt) and always suggests a smaller version of a standard product. "Compact" focuses on efficient use of space rather than reduced scale as a copy — a compact car is not a miniature of a full-size car. "Minute" (pronounced my-NOOT) is more formal and stresses extreme smallness in detail. Use "miniature" when the key idea is that something is an exact small copy of a real object. For example: she bought a miniature Eiffel Tower keychain, not just a tiny Eiffel Tower keychain — the first emphasises the replica aspect, the second just the size.

tiny ↗mini ↗compact ↗minute ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • miniature train
  • miniature model
  • miniature version
  • miniature painting
  • miniature portrait

Phrases

  • in miniature

Prepositions

  • in miniature
  • miniature of

Etymology

ItalianLatinEnglish

From Italian 'miniatura', originally referring to illustrations in medieval manuscripts, from Latin 'miniare' (to colour with red lead), from 'minium' (red lead pigment). The word shifted from describing the art of manuscript illumination to meaning 'something painted on a small scale', and eventually came to mean anything made extremely small.