Definition

Adjective: - Having a physical size comparable to that of a typical shrew (a very small, mouse-like mammal).

Usage Notes

This is a compound adjective used specifically for making size comparisons. It is not a standard unit of measurement but a descriptive term indicating something is as small as a shrew. It is typically used in scientific, zoological, or descriptive writing.

Examples

• The newly discovered fossil appears to be from a shrew-sized dinosaur ancestor.
• Some species of bats are shrew-sized, making them difficult to spot in the forest canopy.
• The device is remarkably compact, almost shrew-sized, and fits easily in a pocket.

Advanced Usage

• Hyphenation: The term is almost always hyphenated when used attributively (before a noun), as in "a shrew-sized mammal." It may sometimes appear without a hyphen when used predicatively (after a linking verb), though hyphenation is still common for clarity.
• Figurative Use: While primarily literal, it can be used figuratively to emphasize extreme smallness in non-biological contexts.
  • The startup company remained a shrew-sized player in the giant tech industry.

Variants and Related Words

• Shrew (n): The small insectivorous mammal used as the basis for this size comparison.
• Pocket-sized (adj): Of a size suitable for carrying in a pocket; very small.
• Miniature (adj): Greatly reduced in size; on a very small scale.

Synonyms

• Tiny
• Minuscule
• Diminutive
• Lilliputian

Antonyms

• Elephant-sized
• Giant
• Enormous
• Colossal

Adjective

1. having the approximate size of a shrew