Rivulet
noun /ˈrɪv.jʊ.lɪt/ — A very small stream
Definition
A small stream of water — a thin trickle, a tiny watercourse barely wider than a hand. Also used figuratively for any thin, continuous flow.
Beyond the definition
The opposite of the torrent. A rivulet is humility in motion — small, persistent, working with patience rather than force. Rivers begin as rivulets.
Origin & history
Diminutive of 'rivule', from Latin 'rivulus' (small stream) — diminutive of 'rivus' (stream). A tiny version of a river.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
A rivulet of melted snow cut across the path, crystal clear over pebbles.
Rivulets of condensation ran down the window during the cold night.
Even the greatest rivers were once rivulets — it is easy to miss the beginning of something large.
Synonyms
streamlet, rill, brook, trickle, runnel
Antonyms
torrent, river, flood
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Small Thin Stream After Rain
A shallow stream flows over smooth stones in a landscape after rain, with damp soil and sunlight breaking through the clouds.
A rivulet is a small, thin trickle of water. The shallow, narrow flow of water moving over stones in this post-rain landscape is a perfect literal example of a rivulet, demonstrating the thin, continuous flow of water that persists as part of a larger, natural system after a rainstorm.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration