Definition

Adjective: 1. Consisting of fine particles: Having a texture or composition made up of very tiny, often granular, pieces. This describes a substance that is finely divided or ground.

Usage

The adjective "small-grained" is used to describe the physical texture of a material. It is typically placed before the noun it modifies. * It is used for materials like sand, sugar, soil, minerals, or powders. * It emphasizes the fineness and uniformity of the particles.

Examples

• The beach had small-grained sand that felt soft underfoot.
• For this recipe, use small-grained salt, as it will dissolve more easily.
• The geologist examined the small-grained sandstone under a microscope.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used in a comparative or superlative form to indicate degrees of fineness.
  • This flour is smaller-grained than the whole wheat variety.
  • They searched for the smallest-grained polishing compound available.

Variants and Related Words

• Fine-grained (adj): A very common synonym with an identical meaning, often preferred in technical and general contexts.
• Powdery (adj): Resembling or consisting of powder; dry and crumbling into small, loose particles.
• Pulverized (adj/verb): Reduced to fine particles, often by crushing or grinding. (e.g., pulverized limestone).

Synonyms

• Fine
• Fine-grained
• Powdery
• Pulverized
• Granular (can imply a slightly coarser texture than "small-grained")

Antonyms

• Coarse
• Coarse-grained
• Chunky
• Granular (in some comparative contexts)

Adjective

1. consisting of fine particles
   • powdered cellulose
   • powdery snow
   • pulverized sugar is prepared from granulated sugar by grinding