Definition

Adjective: Having ears that are small in size or proportion.

Usage

This adjective is used to describe animals, and occasionally people or fictional characters, whose ears are noticeably small relative to what is typical for their kind. It is a descriptive, compound adjective often used in biological, zoological, or general descriptive contexts.

Examples

• The small-eared bat is a species native to Southeast Asia.
• She drew a cartoon of a small-eared elephant, which looked quite unusual.
• The new rabbit breed is characterized by being small-eared.

Advanced Usage

• Hyphenation Rule: The hyphen is used to link "small" and "eared" to form a single unit of meaning that modifies a noun (e.g., a small-eared fox). Without the hyphen, "small eared fox" could be ambiguously read as a small, eared fox.
• Comparative/Superlative: Can be used in comparative or superlative forms by modifying the first element: "the smaller-eared of the two cubs," "the smallest-eared dog in the competition."

Variants and Related Words

• Large-eared (adj.): Having large ears.
• Flop-eared (adj.): Having ears that hang down loosely.
• Pointy-eared (adj.): Having ears that come to a point.

Synonyms

• Microtic (adj.): A technical/medical term for having abnormally small ears.
• Short-eared (adj.): While often implying short in length, it can be similar in descriptive context for certain species (e.g., the short-eared owl).

Notes

• This is a compound adjective. Its meaning is literal and specific, directly describing a physical attribute.
• It is not commonly used in idiomatic expressions or as a phrasal verb, as it is a fixed descriptive term.

Adjective

1. having small ears