Definitions for puny
ˈpyu nipun·y

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.0 / 2 votes

1. punyadjective

   inferior in strength or significance

   "a puny physique"; "puny excuses"

2. puny, runty, shrimpyadjective

   (used especially of persons) of inferior size

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. punynoun

   A new pupil at a school etc.; a junior student.

2. punynoun

   A younger person.

3. punynoun

   An inferior person; a subordinate.

4. punyadjective

   Of inferior size, strength or significance.

5. Etymology: Variant form of puisne.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. PUNYadjective

   Etymology: puis nè, Fr.

   1. Young.2. Inferior; petty; of an under rate.

   Is not the king’s name forty thousand names?
   Arm, arm, my name; a puny subject strikes
   At thy great glory. William Shakespeare, Rich. II.

   Know me not,
   Lest that thy wives with spits, and boys with stones,
   In puny battle slay me. William Shakespeare, Coriolanus.

   Drive
   The puny habitants; or if not drive,
   Seduce them to our party. John Milton.

   This friendship is of that strength, as to remain unshaken by such assaults, which yet are strong enough to shake down and annihilate the friendship of little puny minds. South.

   Jove at their head ascending from the sea,
   A shoal of puny pow’rs attend his way. Dryden.

2. Punynoun

   A young unexperienced unseasoned wretch.

   Tenderness of heart makes a man but a puny in this sin; it spoils the growth, and cramps the crowning exploits of this vice. Robert South, Sermons.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. puny

   Puny is an adjective used to describe something that is small or weak in size, quantity, or strength. It is often used to imply insignificance or inferiority.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Puny

   imperfectly developed in size or vigor; small and feeble; inferior; petty

2. Punynoun

   a youth; a novice

3. Etymology: [F. put younger, later born, OF. puisn; puis afterwards (L. post; see Post-) + n born, L. natus. See Natal, and cf. Puisne.]

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Puny

   pū′ni, adj. (comp. Pū′nier; superl. Pū′niest) small: feeble: petty. [Cf. Puisne.]

How to pronounce puny?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say puny in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of puny in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of puny in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of puny in a Sentence

1. Alexander Herzen:

   Science, which cuts its way through the muddy pond of daily life without mingling with it, casts its wealth to right and left, but the puny boatmen do not know how to fish for it.

2. Meena Puri:

   Hes a big guy ; shes a puny, little 70-year-old.

3. Stephen Jay Gould:

   The true beauty of nature is her amplitude she exists neither for nor because of us, and possesses a staying power that all our nuclear arsenals cannot threaten (much as we can easily destroy our puny selves).

4. Denise Caruso:

   It shouldn't be too much of a surprise that the Internet has evolved into a force strong enough to reflect the greatest hopes and fears of those who use it. After all, it was designed to withstand nuclear war, not just the puny huffs and puffs of politicians and religious fanatics.

5. Dennis Kelleher:

   There is a fee today and the world hasn't ended, the proposed fee is so puny that no reasonable retail investor would ever notice it.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=puny
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Puny
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=puny
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puny
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=puny