midget
midget Lexical Profile
midget Game Scores & Validity
• noun
(dated, offensive) A person of unusually short stature, historically used in particular for someone with proportionate dwarfism.
"Modern disability advocacy groups strongly discourage using the word midget to describe a person of short stature."
An extremely small object, vehicle, or animal of its kind, such as a compact single-seat racing car or a miniature submarine.
"The automotive museum displays a vintage midget that won several dirt-track championships in the late 1940s."
North American (historical) An age division in youth athletics, particularly ice hockey and American football, typically for players around 15 to 17 years old, or a player competing in this division.
"Hockey Canada officially retired the midget division name in 2020 in favor of the under-18 designation."
• adjective
Extremely small, miniature, or on a reduced scale compared to the standard size of its kind.
"My grandfather used to race midget cars on dirt tracks across the Midwest in the 1950s."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to a person with dwarfism, "midget" is widely considered derogatory and offensive due to its historical association with sideshow exhibitions; terms such as "person of short stature" or "little person" are preferred. Its use to describe small inanimate objects, miniature auto racing, or youth sports divisions remains attested in some contexts, though many organizations have replaced it.
• Rhymes for midget
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the early 19th century as a diminutive of "midge" (a tiny biting fly or gnat, from Old English "mycg") by adding the diminutive suffix "-et".