petite

petite — adjective

1. describing a female person who is short and slim, with a neat build

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a female person who is short and slim, with a neat build

Example

At five feet tall, Nina looked petite beside her basketball teammates.

linking verb: look petite

The actress was petite, but her voice filled the whole hall.

Common collocations
  • petite woman
  • petite frame
  • petite build
  • look petite
Synonyms
  • small

    broad and neutral; it does not suggest a neat or attractive shape

  • slim

    focuses on thinness more than on short height or overall small build

  • dainty

    adds a delicate, feminine feeling and can sound more old-fashioned

  • slight

    describes a light, narrow build and is less clearly complimentary

Antonyms
  • tall

    describes greater height rather than a short build

  • large-framed

    describes a broader body structure instead of a small one

Grammar Patterns

petite woman

petite frame

Usage Note

Usually sounds positive and is most often used about women and girls. For men, speakers normally choose words such as 'small', 'short', or 'slim' instead.

Common Mistakes

My father is petite.
My father is small and slim.
'petite' is usually used for women and girls, not for men.

2. made in a size range planned for women with shorter, smaller bodies

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

made in a size range planned for women with shorter, smaller bodies

Example

This brand makes petite coats for women under five foot three.

petite + clothing noun

Lina found the same black trousers in the petite section downstairs.

shopping collocation: petite section

Common collocations
  • petite size
  • petite section
  • petite jeans
  • petite coat
  • petite dress
Synonyms
  • small-size

    sometimes overlaps, but it only suggests smaller measurements and not shorter body proportions

  • short-fit

    retail wording that stresses shorter proportions, though it is less standard than 'petite'

Antonyms
  • regular

    the standard size range rather than the shorter-body range

  • tall

    made for women with longer body proportions

Grammar Patterns

petite jeans

petite size

petite section

Usage Note

Common on clothing labels, shopping filters, and store sections. It refers to body proportions for shorter women, not simply to having a smaller waist or chest measurement.

Common Mistakes

My eight-year-old needs petite trousers.
My eight-year-old needs children's trousers.
'petite' sizes are adult women's clothes cut for shorter frames, not children's sizes.

petite — noun

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Petite, small, slim, and dainty can all describe a woman with a light build, but they do not mean exactly the same thing. 'Small' is the broad, neutral word and can describe height, body size, or even a child. 'Slim' focuses on thinness and shape, not necessarily on being short. 'Dainty' adds a delicate, graceful feeling and can sound a little old-fashioned or strongly feminine. 'Petite' usually combines two ideas at once: shorter height and a neat, slim body, and it often appears in fashion or complimentary description. So a model can be slim without being petite, and a child can be small without the word sounding stylish. You might say, 'Lina is petite, so she shops in the petite section,' but 'Ken is small and slim,' not usually 'petite.'

petite ↗small ↗slim ↗dainty

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

Borrowed into English from French 'petite', the feminine form of 'petit', meaning 'small'. English first used it as a description of a woman's small, slim build, and later extended it to the clothing-size category made for shorter women.