A miniature is a much smaller version of something, often crafted with careful attention to detail. When architects build miniature models of skyscrapers before constructing the real thing, they create tiny but accurate versions that show what the building will look like. Dollhouse furniture is miniature: a tiny sofa might be only three inches long, but it looks just like a full-sized couch, complete with cushions and armrests.

A miniature railroad might wind through someone's basement, with trains the size of your hand running on tracks. Miniature golf uses smaller putters and shorter holes than regular golf.

Sometimes people confuse miniature with minuscule (which means extremely tiny), but miniature specifically suggests a smaller version that resembles the original, like how a miniature poodle looks like a regular poodle but stands only about a foot tall. When something is described as in miniature, it means you're seeing all the features of the real thing, just scaled down, like viewing an entire city in miniature through a detailed model.