little Hear it!

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little definition

lit·tle (lit′'l)

adjective littler lit′·tler or less or lesser less′er, littlest lit′·tlest or least

  1. small in size; not big, large, or great
  2. small in amount, number, or degree; not much
  3. short in duration or distance; brief; not long
  4. small in importance or power the rights of the little man
  5. small in force, intensity, etc.; weak
  6. trivial; trifling
  7. lacking in breadth of vision; narrow-minded; illiberal a little mind
  8. young: said of children or animals
  9. younger her little brother

Etymology: ME littel < OE lytel (akin to Ger dial. lützel) < base of lyt, small (< IE base *leud-, to stoop > Welsh lludded, fatigue), infl. by ON litill, small (akin to Goth leitils) < IE base *lei-, to decline, be lean > less

adverb less, least

  1. in a small degree; to a slight extent; only slightly; not much
  2. not in the least he little suspects the plot

noun

    1. small amount, degree, etc.: often used with a and having adverbial force a little crazy
    2. not much little will be done about it
  2. a short time or distance

Related Forms:

little Idioms

in little

on a small scale; in miniature

little by little

by slow degrees or small amounts; gradually

make little of

to treat as not very important; depreciate

not a little

very much; very

some little

rather extensive; fairly full

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms little idiom

little Synonyms

little

modif.

  1. Small in size

    diminutive, dwarfish, small, tiny, shrunk, atomic, wee, undersized, not big, not large, stunted, limited, cramped, wizened, scraggy, imperceptible, light, slight, microscopic, short, Lilliputian, runty, embryonic, elfin, invisible, shriveled, amoebic, microzoic, animalcular, pugged, vestigial, stubby, truncated, snub, molecular, microbic, toy, miniature, scrubby, cramped, puny, pygmy, dwarfed, inappreciable, bantam, half-pint*, pocket-sized*, pint-sized*; see also minute 1.

    Antonyms large*, big*, huge. *

  2. Small in quantity

    inappreciable, inconsiderable, insufficient; see inadequate 1.

  3. Few in number

    scarce, not many, hardly any; see few.

  4. Brief

    concise, succinct, abrupt; see short 2.

  5. Small in importance

    trifling, insignificant, inconsiderable; see trivial, unimportant.

  6. Small in character

    base, mean, petty; see mean 1, wicked 1.

  7. Weak

    stunted, runty, undersized; see weak 1. See syn. study at small.

make little of

make fun of, mock, abuse; see ridicule.


little

n.

trifle, modicum, whit; see bit 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

little Usage Examples

Preposition: on

  • side: The younger sister, Paula, is also said to be a little on the stupid side, perhaps a high-grade moron.

Preposition: as

  • 99p: Cover starts from as little as 99p for up to 2 years peace of mind.

Preposition: over

  • hour: It usually take a little over an hour, but it was taking 8 hours to get here from N.O.

Modifies a noun

  • bit: They wanted the bridge to look a little bit like the old bridge.

Used with adjective complement

  • know: He appeared to know very little about Mr Gordon, and had taken up no references.

Infinitive complement

  • do: The test has very little to do with security.

Modifying Another Word

  • very: The test has very little to do with security.

Preposition: in

  • way: There was very little in the way of resources and Jeremy Dawson's very first challenge was to confront this issue.
little usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

little quotes

There is sometimes a greater judgement shewn in deviating from the rules of art, than in adhering to them; and†there ismore beauty inthe works of a great genius who is ignorant of all the rules of art, than in the works of a little genius, who not only knows but scrupulously observes them.

-Addison,Joseph

I looked out for what the metropolitan reviewers would have to say. They seemed to fall into two classes: those who had little to say and those who had nothing.

-Beerbohm, Sir (Henry) Max(imilian)

Better is little with the fear of the L than great treasure and trouble therewith. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.

-Bible (Old Testament)

little quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"little." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/little>

APA Style

little. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/little

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