Thumbnail

//ˈθʌm.neɪl// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The fingernail on the thumb.
  2. 2
    the nail of the thumb wordnet
  3. 3
    A rough sketch (e.g., the size of one's thumbnail).
  4. 4
    A small picture, used as a compact representation of a larger image.
  5. 5
    A picture displayed by posts and videos pre-clicked conveying the matters discussed/shown in that post.
Verb
  1. 1
    To describe concisely. transitive
  2. 2
    To create a smaller representation of (a larger image). transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
scantlingthumbthumb sketchthumb-sketch

Example

More examples

"Language is just a map of human thoughts, feelings and memories. And like all maps, language is a thumbnail image a hundred thousand times smaller than what it is trying to convey."

Etymology

From thumb + nail. Compare West Frisian tommeneil (“thumbnail”), Dutch duimnagel (“thumbnail”), German Daumennagel (“thumbnail”). The phrase thumbnail sketch was first attested 1852. Verb sense attested 1930s.

Related phrases

thumbnail moon

More for "thumbnail"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.