Petite Meaning
/pəˈtiːt/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjFairly short and of slim build.
adjOf small size; intended for small-framed adult women.
Sentence Examples
Akane Oda got her start in a petite miss beauty contest.
Layla was a petite bubbly blonde.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The fashion model was very ____, standing only five feet tall and wearing a size zero dress.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The designer created a special collection for ____ women who struggled to find well-fitting clothes.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from French petite f, feminine of petit m (“small, little”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The Earth, the Sun, and Stars, what things are they in nature? are they petite things not worth our notice, or grand and worthy of consideration?"
— 1662, Galileo Galilei, translated by Thomas Salisbury, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems:
"The primary structure of the mitochondrial genomes of these petites had been previously determined […]"
— 2005, Giorgio Bernardi, Structural and Evolutionary Genomics, page 39:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The fashion model was very ____, standing only five feet tall and wearing a size zero dress.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The designer created a special collection for ____ women who struggled to find well-fitting clothes.