What does puny mean?
Definitions for puny
ˈpyu nipun·y
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word puny.
Princeton's WordNet
punyadjective
inferior in strength or significance
"a puny physique"; "puny excuses"
puny, runty, shrimpyadjective
(used especially of persons) of inferior size
Wiktionary
punynoun
A new pupil at a school etc.; a junior student.
punynoun
A younger person.
punynoun
An inferior person; a subordinate.
punyadjective
Of inferior size, strength or significance.
Etymology: Variant form of puisne.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
PUNYadjective
Etymology: puis nè, Fr.
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.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.
ChatGPT
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 Dictionary
Puny
imperfectly developed in size or vigor; small and feeble; inferior; petty
Punynoun
a youth; a novice
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 Dictionary
Puny
pū′ni, adj. (comp. Pū′nier; superl. Pū′niest) small: feeble: petty. [Cf. Puisne.]
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of puny in Chaldean Numerology is: 2
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of puny in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4
Examples of puny in a Sentence
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).
Hes a big guy ; shes a puny, little 70-year-old.
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.
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.
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
Translations for puny
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- سقيمArabic
- escarransit, desnerit, febleCatalan, Valencian
- maličkýCzech
- svageligDanish
- mickrigGerman
- μικροκαμωμένοςGreek
- flojo, gualtrapas, escuchimizado, tirillasSpanish
- خرابکاریPersian
- hintelä, vähäpätöinen, mitätönFinnish
- chétifFrench
- नन्हाHindi
- apróHungarian
- lemahIndonesian
- gracileItalian
- מחורבןHebrew
- うんざりするJapanese
- ಚುರುಕಾದKannada
- 자그마한Korean
- pusilliLatin
- krappegLuxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- pūkiki, kaureheMāori
- nietige, nietigDutch
- ynkeligNorwegian
- małostkowyPolish
- insignificantePortuguese
- plăpândRomanian
- крохотный, тщедушныйRussian
- punySwedish
- மெலிந்தTamil
- పరిమాణంగలTelugu
- อ่อนแอThai
- cılızTurkish
- слабкийUkrainian
- دانوUrdu
- yếu đuốiVietnamese
- punyYiddish
- 弱小Chinese
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"puny." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 21 Mar. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/puny>.
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