small screen

noun

The broadcast or cable television screen, as opposed to the cinema screen (or big screen)

“Jane Smith made her small-screen debut in 1998, appearing as a patient in a hospital drama.”

Opposite
big screen
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Meanings

noun
  1. broadcastingThe broadcast or cable television screen, as opposed to the cinema screen (or big screen)
  2. broadlyThe medium of television.

    Jane Smith made her small-screen debut in 1998, appearing as a patient in a hospital drama.

    1 more example

    "Marvel’s attempts to conquer TV as comprehensively as it has done cinema continues with what might be its most distinctive small-screen effort yet."

    2018, Ferran Adrià, “What's on Netflix and Amazon this month - July 2018”, in The Guardian

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
big screen

Origin

Analogy with big screen.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 電視 /电视
  • 電視 /电视 (diànshì)broadcast or cable television screen
Dutch kleine scherm
  • kleine schermbroadcast or cable television screen
Finnish kuvaruutu
  • kuvaruutubroadcast or cable television screen
French petit écran
  • petit écranbroadcast or cable television screen
Greek μικρή οθόνη
  • μικρή οθόνη (mikrí othóni)broadcast or cable television screen
Hebrew המסך הקטן
  • המסך הקטן (hamasakh hakatan)broadcast or cable television screen
Italian piccolo schermo
  • piccolo schermobroadcast or cable television screen
Polish mały ekran
  • mały ekranbroadcast or cable television screen
Portuguese telinha
  • telinhabroadcast or cable television screen
Romanian micul ecran
  • micul ecranbroadcast or cable television screen
Russian ма́лый экра́н
  • ма́лый экра́н (mályj ekrán)broadcast or cable television screen
Spanish pequeña pantalla, pantalla chica
  • pequeña pantallabroadcast or cable television screen
  • pantalla chicabroadcast or cable television screen
Tamil சின்னத்திரை
  • சின்னத்திரை (ciṉṉattirai)broadcast or cable television screen
Cite this entry
APA

small screen. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/small%20screen

MLA

“small screen.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/small%20screen. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “small screen,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/small%20screen.

Source: small screen on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.