Petite means small and delicately built. In French, petite simply means “small,” but in English it specifically describes someone, usually a woman or girl, who is short and slender. A petite gymnast might be barely five feet tall with a light, compact frame that helps her excel at flips and balance beam routines.

The word carries a graceful feeling beyond mere smallness. A petite person has proportions that seem neat and fine-featured, with a delicate build that goes along with being short. You might describe a ballerina as petite, or notice that your petite friend needs to roll up the sleeves on regular-sized jackets.

In clothing stores, you'll see petite sections with clothes designed for shorter people, with adjusted proportions so sleeves and pant legs fit properly. A petite-sized dress has proportions redesigned and shortened so someone who is shorter doesn't need to make alterations.

While petite usually describes people, you might occasionally hear it used for small, dainty objects, like petite cookies at a fancy tea party or a petite portion of food.