What does petite mean?
Word: Petite
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Petite means small and slim in an attractive way. It is mostly used to describe a girl or woman, or small sizes of clothing.
Synonyms: small, slight, dainty, slender
Antonyms: large, big, tall
How do you spell petite?
Syllables: pe - tite
Tricky part: It sounds like pe-TEET, but the end is spelt -ite, the French way. Peteet and petiet are common slips.
Watch out for: peteet, petiet
Memory tip: It is French, so think of elite, another French word where the eet sound is spelt -ite.
Petite in a sentence
Example 1: The petite gymnast flipped across the mat with amazing speed.
Example 2: The shop has a section of petite sizes for shorter women.
Example 3: My aunt is petite, but she can carry a full bucket of water up the stairs.
Fun Fact
In French, petite is the feminine form of petit, meaning small. English borrowed it to describe a small, slim woman.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with petite?
a) polite
b) delete
c) discreet
d) compete
Show answer
a) polite. Polite ends in a long i sound, like kite, while the others end in eet.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its opposite:
1. petite 2. ancient 3. generous a. stingy b. hefty c. modern
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
b) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
c) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
c) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a. A hefty weightlifter is far from petite, a modern building is the reverse of an ancient one, and a stingy person gives little, unlike a generous one.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) quartet
b) silhouette
c) pettite
d) brunette
Show answer
c) pettite. Brunette and silhouette double the t before the final e, but this word has one t after pe.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
A girl or woman who is small and slim is often described as ___.
a) petite
b) lanky
c) burly
d) stout
Show answer
a) petite. Stout and burly mean heavy and broad, and lanky means tall and thin.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which person is most likely to be called petite?
a) a tall, broad wrestler
b) a giant in a story
c) a tall basketball player
d) a short, slim dancer
Show answer
d) a short, slim dancer
2. Which sentence uses petite correctly?
a) The petite girl slipped through the gap.
b) The petite crowd filled the whole stadium.
c) The petite elephant needed a huge lorry.
d) The petite mountain towered over the village.
Show answer
a) The petite girl slipped through the gap.
