Small World
Surprising mutual acquaintances
Small world is an exclamation of surprise at an unexpected connection—running into someone you know far from home, or discovering that two acquaintances know each other independently: I can't believe you dated my college roommate—small world!
The phrase reflects how coincidences can make vast social networks feel intimate.
A small-world network in mathematics describes systems where most nodes connect through surprisingly few steps.
- miniatureReduced-scale representation
- cozyWarm and snug
- intimateClosely personal or private
- villageSmall rural community
- DisneyMajor entertainment conglomerate
magic kingdom · ride · coincidence · connection · shrinking · tiny · globe · theme park · neighborhood · acquaintance · networking · familiar · old friends · mutual friends · quaint · doll · microcosm · snug
- tabletop gamesboard games, board game, card games, card game, backgammon
- money transferWestern Union, wire transfer, PayPal, money order, Venmo
- Campus Novels
- strategy gameschess, strategy, checkers, go, Go
Small Worldsocial isolation
Lack of human contact
ships passing in the night · disconnected · alienated · anonymous · alienation
Small Worldrandom chance
Uncontrolled probability
impossible odds · statistical anomaly · needle in a haystack · one in a million · against all odds
small, world, smaller, smallest, smallish, smallness, worlds, worldly, worldliness