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puny + noun
puny 作定语时常含贬义，指人或事物弱小、不起眼。
He had a puny body.
他的身体很瘦小。
微小的；弱小的
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
微小的；弱小的
small and weak; of inferior size or strength, especially of a person
He had a puny body.
他的身体很瘦小。
意义、大小或力量较差的；无效的、小的、弱的。
Of inferior significance, size, or strength; ineffective, small, weak.
The puny kitten could barely climb over the step.
那只瘦弱的小猫几乎爬不过台阶。
He felt puny next to the tall basketball players.
站在那些高大的篮球运动员旁边，他觉得自己很渺小。
Their puny efforts were not enough to solve the problem.
他们微薄的努力不足以解决这个问题。
puny 作定语时常含贬义，指人或事物弱小、不起眼。
He had a puny body.
他的身体很瘦小。
puny 作表语时，常与 seem、look、feel 等系动词连用，强调主观印象。
The puppy looked puny next to its brothers.
这只小狗在它兄弟旁边显得很弱小。
too puny to do sth 表示“太弱小以致不能做某事”，to 后接动词原形。
She was too puny to lift the box.
她太瘦弱，搬不动那个箱子。
Not this
He is more puny than his brother.
Use this
He is punier than his brother.
puny 是以 y 结尾的双音节形容词，比较级应改为 punier，不能在前面加 more。
Not this
He is a puny.
Use this
He is puny.
puny 是形容词，不能直接加冠词当名词用；作表语时直接用原形即可。
Not this
He is puny to carry the box.
Use this
He is too puny to carry the box.
表示“太弱而不能做某事”要用 too + 形容词 + to do 结构，不能省略 too。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
瘦小的；弱小的
He was a puny little kid, always picked last for sports.
他是个瘦小的孩子，体育课上总是最后被选中的。
瘦弱的身体
Despite his puny body, he had a fierce determination.
尽管他身体瘦弱，却有顽强的意志。
瘦小的身材
The backpack was too big for her puny frame.
这个背包对她的瘦小身材来说太大了。
微薄的努力；微不足道的努力
The government's puny effort did nothing to solve the crisis.
政府那点微不足道的努力对解决危机毫无帮助。
细弱的胳膊
She laughed at his puny arms, but he lifted the box anyway.
她嘲笑他细弱的胳膊，但他还是举起了箱子。
为什么“puny”这个单词里会有“punk”（朋克）这个部分？
In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, the Cowardly Lion sings this line about the word “puny” in the song “If I Were King of the Forest”.
在1939年的电影《绿野仙踪》中，胆小狮在歌曲《如果我是森林之王》中唱出这句关于“puny”一词的歌词。
Use puny naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
puny 以 p 开头，小写 p 像个小人又瘦又小，所以表示微小的、弱小的。
语域：neutral 常见场景：describing a small, weak person or animal、criticizing an effort, amount, or result as too small or insignificant puny 是常用词，在口语和一般书面语中都会出现，不带明显的正式或随意色彩，但常带贬义或轻蔑语气。正式或中立表述中，通常改用 small and weak（指弱小）或 insignificant（指微不足道）。
注意比较级和最高级形式为 punier、puniest。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.