teeny

Everyday

1. (informal) Very small; tiny. tree →
2. In «teeny-weeny» or «teeny-tiny» (informal, childish): extremely small. tree →
3. Teeny can also mean a tiny bit, as in "a teeny bit more frightened." tree →

In the lessons

In everyday talk, stories and baby talk «teeny» makes something sound very small or cute. In lessons on downplaying, «a teeny problem» can hide a big one. Related: «tiny», «wee» (Scotland, Ireland), «itsy-bitsy».

Examples

• Look at the teeny little ladybird! tree →
• I only want a teeny piece of cake. tree →
• The mouse had teeny pink paws. tree →
• «It's a teeny scratch,» she said, but it was bleeding a lot — tell an adult. tree →
• The baby wore teeny socks. tree →
• There was a teeny-weeny spider in the bath. tree →
• That's a teeny bit unfair! tree →
• This made the teeny-tiny woman a teeny-tiny more frightened, so she hid her teeny-tiny head a teeny-tiny further under the teeny-tiny clothes. tree →

Note

Informal. Comparative «teenier», superlative «teeniest». Do not confuse with «teen» (13–19 years old) or «teenage». Means «very small», not an exact size.