puny

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++pu·ny /ˈpjuːni/ adjective  1  WEAKa puny person is small, thin, and weak 〔人〕弱小的，瘦小的 a puny little guy 瘦小的人 puny arms 瘦弱的臂膀► see thesaurus at weak2  EFFECTIVE#not effective or impressive 无效的；不起眼的puny effort/attempt a puny attempt at humour 没有效果的幽默 Our efforts look puny beside Fred’s. 我们的努力与弗雷德的相比简直不足挂齿。3  a puny amount of money is too small 〔一笔金额〕很少的 She was awarded a puny £1,000 in compensation. 只判给她区区1,000英镑的赔偿金。

Examples from the Corpus

puny• His wife was such a big strong woman, she made him look puny.• Volker's puny body shook with anger.• The relatively puny father-of-three could have been forgiven for having second thoughts when he was picked.• Can you still get your divorce on such puny, immediately regretted unfaithfulness?• Persuasive in its action moments but puny in terms of character and dialogue.• a puny kid• Pete was a puny little boy with short hair and glasses.• So, Cyclops, you were not quite strong enough to eat all of the puny men?• Oh, how puny my contemporaries seem by comparison!• puny profits• And they had to take four semesters of hygiene, or gym-perhaps to counter their waxy pallor and puny stature.puny effort/attempt• Change was a mass movement; it owed nothing to the puny efforts of the individual.Origin puny (1500-1600) Old French puisné “younger”, from puis “afterward” + né “born”

pu·ny adjectiveChineseSyllable  

thin, small, Corpus person puny is and weak a

puny
pu‧ny /ˈpjuːni/ adjective1. a puny person is small, thin, and weak:
    a puny little guy
    puny arms
2. not effective or impressive
    puny effort/attempt
    a puny attempt at humour
    Our efforts look puny beside Fred’s.
3. a puny amount of money is too small:
    She was awarded a puny £1,000 in compensation.
     

THESAURUS

■ not physically strong
   ▪ weak not physically strong, sometimes because you are ill: Tom’s had flu and he’s still feeling weak. | The doctors said she was too weak to have an operation. | He suffered constantly from a weak chest.
   ▪ frail weak and thin, especially because you are old: a frail 85-year-old lady | My grandfather’s becoming quite frail now.
   ▪ shaky feeling weak in your legs and only able to walk slowly and unsteadily: When I came out of hospital I was a bit shaky for a while.
   ▪ puny /ˈpjuːni/ especially disapproving small, thin, and looking very weak: his puny white arms | He was a puny little boy who was often bullied at school.
   ▪ feeble especially written weak and unable to do much because you are very ill, very old or young: For a week she was too feeble to get out of bed. | a tiny, feeble baby
   ▪ delicate weak and often becoming ill easily: a delicate child | She had rather a delicate constitution (=her body easily became ill).
   ▪ infirm formal weak or ill for a long time, especially because you are old: a residential home for people who are elderly and infirm | There are special facilities for wheelchair users and infirm guests.
   ▪ malnourished formal weak or ill because you have not had enough good food to eat: Half a million people there are severely malnourished. | The organization provides emergency feeding for malnourished children.

punyBrE /ˈpjuːni/ 🔊NAmE /ˈpjuːni/ 🔊 adjective (puni·er, puni·est) (disapproving) small and weak 弱小的；孱弱的 SYN feeble ◆The lamb was a puny little thing. 羊羔瘦小孱弱。🔊🔊not very impressive 不起眼的；可怜的；微不足道的◆They laughed at my puny efforts. 他们嘲笑我微不足道的努力。🔊🔊