These words refer to people or things of relatively reduced dimensions. Small and little are the most general and informal of these words. Both may be used loosely and interchangeably, but little without doubt suggests the most extreme departure from a norm: a small man; a little man. Small may suggest a slight reduction of proportions that is noticeable but not necessarily objectionable: a small house that would do perfectly for the two of them. Little , by contrast, suggests a reduction in scale that may be drastic: a little doll’s hose. Small may be used figuratively to indicate a pettiness in outlook or attitude: What a small -minded person he is.

When small and little refer to the physical proportions of a person, they suggest an overall reduction of scale, with little the most extreme. By contrast, short is restricted to a reduction in the scale of normal physical height: the shortest boy in the class; a man who appeared to be shorter than he actually was when he stood beside his tall wife. In this sense short may be applied also to parts of a human or animal body: a dwarf with short arms and legs attached to a trunk of normal size; The zebra has a short neck compared with that of the giraffe. In reference to things, short is applied to that which has relatively little linear extension or vertical length: a short , dead-end street containing three houses; skirts that could not possibly be shorter . Short may also emphasize that something does not measure up to a standard or need in some way: a rope that was too short to reach from one bank of the stream to the other; cheating by playing with a short pack of cards. Squat is an intensification of short , referring particularly to something that is of reduced vertical height but is not comparably reduced in its other dimensions, giving a low, wide silhouette: Romanesque churches, that look squat beside their soaring Gothic counterparts; a heavy, squat man who waddled along.

Diminutive and petite are intensifications of the meanings implicit in small . Both are much more formal and both are particularly used to refer to women’s figures when they are pleasingly trim and compact: a shortage of petite sizes in day dresses; showing off the diminutive figure she had earned by dieting. While petite would seem affected when applied to things other than women’s figures, diminutive can be used for anything or reduced overall proportions: diminutive apples.

Tiny and wee are intensifications of little , suggesting such a drastic reduction of scale as to put the thing described outside established norms. Tiny may suggest a miniature or model of something: tiny toy soldiers that were exquisitely carved. In another use, the word can more simply express surprise at something extremely small , even when this is its normal size: a tiny baby; a tiny insect that lit on the palm of her hand. Wee almost inevitably sounds precious or "cute," except possibly in children’s literature: a wee lamb; a wee elf. Used euphemistically by adults, it suggests a humorous intent: wondering if they might have a wee drink, just the two of them, before going on to the party.