Cleavable spacer (s = diamido) based cationic gemini surfactant (with different alkyl tail lengths (m) abbreviated as g1; m = 12, g2; m = 14 or g3; m = 16), in aqueous micellar solution, was used to control the size and morphology of cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles (NPs), via modified chemical precipitation technique. The purity and stability of all CdS NPs were characterized by EDAX, FT-IR, TGA and zeta potential (ζ). By varying the geminis, significant size reduction (2–6 nm), enhanced capping capacity, and higher energy band gap (∼4.1 eV) have been found in CdS-g1 compared to other NPs, by using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), TEM, XRD and UV–visible spectroscopy. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra revealed an emission at 525 and 630 nm, showing the effect of geminis m concerning surface states of NP. Additionally, antioxidant and antimicrobial (on Gram-negative (E. coli and P. aeruginosa) and Gram-positive (S. aureus and B. subtilis) strains) activities of CdS NPs were examined by DPPH radical scavenging and agar plating-spot disc inoculation method, respectively. The results recommended a significant antioxidant activity in CdS-g1 with 45.6 %, while, selective antimicrobial activity was obtained on E. coli and S. aureus in all NP systems.