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View synonyms for

thumbnail

[thuhm-neyl]

noun

  1. the nail of the thumb.

  2. anything quite small or brief, as a small drawing or short essay.

  3. Printing.a small, rough dummy.

  4. Also called porkchop.Journalism, Printing.a half-column portrait in a newspaper.



adjective

  1. quite small or brief; concise.

    a thumbnail description of Corsica.

verb (used with object)

  1. to make a thumbnail sketch or description of.

thumbnail

/ ˈθʌˌԱɪ /

noun

  1. the nail of the thumb

  2. (modifier) concise and brief

    a thumbnail sketch

  3. computing a small image which can be expanded

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of thumbnail1

First recorded in 1595–1605; thumb + nail
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But the movie’s verité style of thumbnail portraiture doesn’t always dovetail neatly with the other elements: the unloading of facts, getting those drone shots in and projecting a thriller-like atmosphere.

From

I look for the jade plant in front of our apartment building, whose leaves I would press with my thumbnail while waiting for my parents to come downstairs.

From

So that’s the thumbnail traumatic imprint of people on the Right very often.

From

In the building next door, families scratch desperately through thumbnail photos scattered in piles on the concrete floor – face after face staring grim and blank, silent witnesses to the years of Assad's rule.

From

To distinguish between more innocuous cases of narcissism and the literally dangerous varieties, Durvasula offered a thumbnail test: "Narcissists who are narcissistic do feel remorse," Durvasula said.

From

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thumb knotthumbnail sketch