diff --git a/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ui/SimpleColoredComponent.java b/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ui/SimpleColoredComponent.java
index c8e8ed97e9e5..8f7e1f086bdd 100644
--- a/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ui/SimpleColoredComponent.java
+++ b/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ui/SimpleColoredComponent.java
@@ -317,11 +317,15 @@ public class SimpleColoredComponent extends JComponent implements Accessible {
 
     LOG.assertTrue(font != null);
 
+    int baseSize = font.getSize();
+    boolean wasSmaller = false;
     for (int i = 0; i < myAttributes.size(); i++) {
       SimpleTextAttributes attributes = myAttributes.get(i);
-      if (font.getStyle() != attributes.getFontStyle()) { // derive font only if it is necessary
-        font = font.deriveFont(attributes.getFontStyle());
+      boolean isSmaller = attributes.isSmaller();
+      if (font.getStyle() != attributes.getFontStyle() || isSmaller != wasSmaller) { // derive font only if it is necessary
+        font = font.deriveFont(attributes.getFontStyle(), isSmaller ? UIUtil.getFontSize(UIUtil.FontSize.SMALL) : baseSize);
       }
+      wasSmaller = isSmaller;
       final FontMetrics metrics = getFontMetrics(font);
       width += metrics.stringWidth(myFragments.get(i));
 
@@ -365,11 +369,16 @@ public class SimpleColoredComponent extends JComponent implements Accessible {
     Font font = getFont();
     LOG.assertTrue(font != null);
 
+    int baseSize = font.getSize();
+    boolean wasSmaller = false;
     for (int i = 0; i < myAttributes.size(); i++) {
       SimpleTextAttributes attributes = myAttributes.get(i);
-      if (font.getStyle() != attributes.getFontStyle()) { // derive font only if it is necessary
-        font = font.deriveFont(attributes.getFontStyle());
+      boolean isSmaller = attributes.isSmaller();
+      if (font.getStyle() != attributes.getFontStyle() || isSmaller != wasSmaller) { // derive font only if it is necessary
+        font = font.deriveFont(attributes.getFontStyle(), isSmaller ? UIUtil.getFontSize(UIUtil.FontSize.SMALL) : baseSize);
       }
+      wasSmaller = isSmaller;
+
       final FontMetrics metrics = getFontMetrics(font);
       final int curWidth = metrics.stringWidth(myFragments.get(i));
       if (x >= curX && x < curX + curWidth) {
@@ -455,12 +464,18 @@ public class SimpleColoredComponent extends JComponent implements Accessible {
     UIUtil.applyRenderingHints(g);
     applyAdditionalHints(g);
 
+    int baseSize = getFont().getSize();
+    boolean wasSmaller = false;
     for (int i = 0; i < myFragments.size(); i++) {
       final SimpleTextAttributes attributes = myAttributes.get(i);
+
       Font font = g.getFont();
-      if (font.getStyle() != attributes.getFontStyle()) { // derive font only if it is necessary
-        font = font.deriveFont(attributes.getFontStyle());
+      boolean isSmaller = attributes.isSmaller();
+      if (font.getStyle() != attributes.getFontStyle() || isSmaller != wasSmaller) { // derive font only if it is necessary
+        font = font.deriveFont(attributes.getFontStyle(), isSmaller ? UIUtil.getFontSize(UIUtil.FontSize.SMALL) : baseSize);
       }
+      wasSmaller = isSmaller;
+
       g.setFont(font);
       final FontMetrics metrics = g.getFontMetrics(font);
 
diff --git a/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ui/SimpleTextAttributes.java b/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ui/SimpleTextAttributes.java
index 31d1a3628b9c..81b3e4b28f80 100644
--- a/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ui/SimpleTextAttributes.java
+++ b/platform/platform-api/src/com/intellij/ui/SimpleTextAttributes.java
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ public final class SimpleTextAttributes {
   public static final int STYLE_UNDERLINE = STYLE_WAVED << 1;
   public static final int STYLE_BOLD_DOTTED_LINE = STYLE_UNDERLINE << 1;
   public static final int STYLE_SEARCH_MATCH = STYLE_BOLD_DOTTED_LINE << 1;
+  public static final int STYLE_SMALLER = STYLE_SEARCH_MATCH << 1;
 
   public static final SimpleTextAttributes REGULAR_ATTRIBUTES = new SimpleTextAttributes(STYLE_PLAIN, null);
   public static final SimpleTextAttributes REGULAR_BOLD_ATTRIBUTES = new SimpleTextAttributes(STYLE_BOLD, null);
@@ -85,7 +86,8 @@ public final class SimpleTextAttributes {
            STYLE_WAVED |
            STYLE_UNDERLINE |
            STYLE_BOLD_DOTTED_LINE |
-           STYLE_SEARCH_MATCH) & style) != 0) {
+           STYLE_SEARCH_MATCH |
+           STYLE_SMALLER) & style) != 0) {
       throw new IllegalArgumentException("Wrong style: " + style);
     }
 
@@ -147,6 +149,10 @@ public final class SimpleTextAttributes {
   public boolean isSearchMatch() {
     return (myStyle & STYLE_SEARCH_MATCH) != 0;
   }
+  
+  public boolean isSmaller() {
+    return (myStyle & STYLE_SMALLER) != 0;
+  }
 
   public static SimpleTextAttributes fromTextAttributes(TextAttributes attributes) {
     if (attributes == null) return REGULAR_ATTRIBUTES;