Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A very small person or being.
- adjective Very small; diminutive.
- adjective Trivial; petty.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Pertaining to Lilliput, an imaginary kingdom described in Swift's “Travels of Lemuel Gulliver,” or to its people, feigned to be pygmies about six inches high.
- Hence Of minute size.
- noun An inhabitant of the imaginary kingdom of Lilliput.
- noun A person of diminutive size; a very small dwarf.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun One belonging to a very diminutive race described in Swift's “Voyage to Lilliput” or “Gulliver's Travels”.
- noun A person or thing of very small size.
- adjective Of or pertaining to the imaginary island of Lilliput described by Swift, or to its inhabitants.
- adjective Of very small size; diminutive; insignificant; dwarfed.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Alternative form of
lilliputian . - adjective Alternative form of
lilliputian .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a very small person (resembling a Lilliputian)
- adjective tiny; relating to or characteristic of the imaginary country of Lilliput
- adjective very small
- noun a 6-inch tall inhabitant of Lilliput in a novel by Jonathan Swift
- adjective (informal) small and of little importance
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Lilliputian.
Examples
-
They therefore present what he calls a Lilliputian challenge to unguided Darwinism; if he is right, they present it with a Gargantuan challenge as well.
Religion and Science Plantinga, Alvin 2007
-
How many times the height of a Lilliputian was the body of Gulliver as he lay on the ground?
Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 10 The Guide Charles Herbert Sylvester
-
They are noted for having the hind legs much longer than the fore ones -- in fact, being shaped very much like the kangaroos -- of which they might be termed Lilliputian varieties, were it not that they lack the pouch, which distinguishes these curious creatures.
Quadrupeds, What They Are and Where Found A Book of Zoology for Boys Mayne Reid 1850
-
A young company called Lilliputian Systems has developed handheld chargers for mobile devices.
NYT > Home Page By SUSAN HOCKFIELD 2011
-
It sounds weird, but Liverpudlian reminds me of "Lilliputian" for some reason.
Japanese government internet TV mj 2008
-
Whether his Charlesbourg (then called Bourg Royal) castle was used as the receptacle of some of his most valuable booty, or whether it was merely a kind of Lilliputian _Parc au
Picturesque Quebec : a sequel to Quebec past and present 1868
-
'Lilliputian' applies equally well to any small-minded, petty obsession of the kind that Conservatives strive to rise above, so I'd still consider it a conservative term.
Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] Aschlafly 2010
-
'Lilliputian' applies equally well to any small-minded, petty obsession of the kind that Conservatives strive to rise above, so I'd still consider it a conservative term.
-
'Lilliputian' applies equally well to any small-minded, petty obsession of the kind that Conservatives strive to rise above, so I'd still consider it a conservative term.
-
'Lilliputian' applies equally well to any small-minded, petty obsession of the kind that Conservatives strive to rise above, so I'd still consider it a conservative term.
Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] Maquissar 2010
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.