small

modif.

1. Little in size

   little, minute, tiny, diminutive, miniature, petite; see also little 1.

2. Little in quantity

   scanty, short, meager; see inadequate 1.

3. Unimportant

   trivial, insignificant, unessential; see shallow 2, unimportant.

4. Ignoble

   mean, petty, base; see mean 1.

5. Humble

   modest, poor, pitiful; see humble 2.

small and little are often used interchangeably, but small is preferred with reference to something concrete of less than the usual quantity, size, amount, value, importance, etc. a small man, tax, audience, matter, etc. and little more often applies to absolute concepts he has his little faults, in expressing tenderness, indulgence, etc. the little dear, and in connoting insignificance, meanness, pettiness, etc. of little importance; diminutive implies extreme, sometimes delicate, smallness or littleness the diminutive Lilliputians; minute and the more informal tiny suggest that which is extremely diminutive, often to the degree that it can be discerned only by close scrutiny a minute, or tiny, difference; miniature applies to a copy, model, representation, etc. on a very small scale miniature model cars; petite has specific application to a girl or woman who is small and trim in figure