little Hear it!

little Definition

lit·tle (lit′'l)

adjective lit′·tler or less or less′er, 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

little Related Forms

lit′·tle·ness noun

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

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 Synonyms

little

n.

trifle, modicum, whit; see bit 1.

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.
  • girl: There's a little girl sitting in the middle of the road.
  • boy: I was no longer a sweet obedient little boy.
  • while: Jehoiada then passes away, after the king had called him to task; for such was his zeal for a little while.
  • evidence: However, there is little evidence for this version of events.

Used with adjective complement

  • know: He appeared to know very little about Mr Gordon, and had taken up no references.
  • do: No, you can do as little as you want.
  • say: Much more could be said about this man who himself said very little.
  • cost: It costs relatively little, and could save you a lot.
  • have: The test has very little to do with security.

Infinitive complement

  • do: The test has very little to do with security.
  • say: He was very shy and had little to say except when spoken to.

Modifying Another Word

  • very: The test has very little to do with security.
  • relatively: There is relatively little Government involvement in business in the Bahamas, particularly for offshore businesses.
  • too: Nevertheless, the best efforts of the British press amounted to too little, too late.

Preposition: in

way: There was very little in the way of resources and Jeremy Dawson's very first challenge was to confront this issue.