miniskirt

miniskirt — noun

1. a type of skirt that ends high above the knees, reaching only partway down a per

1.nounB1
Definition

a type of skirt that ends high above the knees, reaching only partway down a person's upper legs

Example

Diego wore a black miniskirt to the summer music festival.

color + miniskirt — noun modifier pattern

The shop window displayed a bright red miniskirt with silver buttons.

display + miniskirt — shop context collocation

Common collocations
  • wear a miniskirt
  • denim miniskirt
  • leather miniskirt
  • pleated miniskirt
Antonyms
  • maxiskirt

    a very long skirt that reaches the ankles, opposite in length

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A miniskirt is a specific style that ends well above the knee, typically reaching mid-thigh. 'Short skirt' is a broader term for any skirt above the knee — it could be just slightly above the knee or very short. A 'pencil skirt' is a tight, straight-cut skirt that usually reaches the knee or just below; it is not a miniskirt even if it is short. A 'microskirt' (or micro-mini) is even shorter than a miniskirt, ending at the very top of the thighs. For example: 'She wore a short skirt to the office' could mean a knee-length skirt, but 'She wore a miniskirt to the office' signals a much shorter, bolder choice.

short skirtpencil skirtmicroskirt

Common collocations

Nouns

  • miniskirt length
  • miniskirt ban
  • miniskirt fashion
  • miniskirt trend

Prepositions

  • in a miniskirt — She arrived at the party in a miniskirt.
  • with a miniskirt — She wore boots with her miniskirt.

Etymology

LatinEnglishOld NorseEnglish

Miniskirt combines 'mini-' (meaning small or short, from Latin 'minimus' meaning smallest) with 'skirt' (from Old Norse 'skyrta', originally meaning a shirt-like garment). The word became widely used in Britain during the mid-1960s when fashion designer Mary Quant popularized very short skirts as a bold new style for young women.