View synonyms for little

little

[ lit-l ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

, lit·tler or less or less·er, lit·tlest or least.

small in size; not big; not large; tiny:
a little desk in the corner of the room.
Synonyms: wee, teeny, tiny
short in duration; not extensive; short; brief:
a little while.
Synonyms: wee, teeny, tiny
small in number:
a little group of scientists.
Synonyms: wee, teeny, tiny
small in amount or degree; not much:
little hope.
Synonyms: wee, teeny, tiny
of a certain amount; appreciable (usually preceded by a ):
We're having a little difficulty.
being such on a small scale:
little farmers.
younger or youngest:
He's my little brother.
not strong, forceful, or loud; weak:
a little voice.
small in consideration, importance, position, affluence, etc.:
little discomforts;
tax reductions to help the little fellow.
mean, narrow, or illiberal:
a little mind.
endearingly small or considered as such:
Bless your little heart!
amusingly small or so considered:
a funny little way of laughing.
contemptibly small, petty, mean, etc., or so considered:
filthy little political tricks.

adverb

, less, least.

not at all (used before a verb):
He little knows what awaits him.
in only a small amount or degree; not much; slightly:
a little-known work of art;
little better than a previous effort.
seldom; rarely; infrequently:
We see each other very little.

noun

a small amount, quantity, or degree:
They did little to make him comfortable.
If you want some ice cream, there's a little in the refrigerator.
a short distance:
It's down the road a little.
a short time:
Stay here for a little.

little

/ ˈlɪtəl /

determiner

often preceded by a
1. a small quantity, extent, or duration of
  very little milk
  the little hope there is left
2. ( as pronoun )
  save a little for me
not much
little damage was done
make little of
See make of
not a little
1. very
2. a lot
quite a little
a considerable amount
think little of
to have a low opinion of

adjective

of small or less than average size
young
our little ones
a little boy
endearingly familiar; dear
my husband's little ways
contemptible, mean, or disagreeable
your filthy little mind
(of a region or district) resembling another country or town in miniature
little Venice
little game
a person's secret intention or business
so that's his little game!
no little
considerable

adverb

usually preceded by a in a small amount; to a small extent or degree; not a lot
to laugh a little
used preceding a verb not at all, or hardly
he little realized his fate
not much or often
we go there very little now
little by little
by small degrees

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Other Words From

lit·tlish [lit, -l-ish, lit, -lish], adjective
little·ness noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of little¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English lȳtel ( lȳt “few, small” + -el diminutive suffix), cognate with Dutch luttel, Old High German luzzil, Old Norse lītill

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Word History and Origins

Origin of little¹

Old English lӯtel; related to lӯr few, Old High German luzzil

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

in little, on a small scale; in miniature:
a replica in little of Independence Hall.
little by little, by small degrees; gradually:
The water level rose little by little.
make little of,
1. to belittle:
  to make little of one's troubles.
2. to understand or interpret only slightly:
  Scholars made little of the newly discovered text.
not a little, to a great extent; very much; considerably:
It tired me not a little to stand for three hours.
think little of, to treat casually; regard as trivial:
They think little of driving 50 miles to see a movie.

More idioms and phrases containing little

a little
every little bit helps
in one's own (little) world
make little of
precious few (little)
think little of
to little purpose
too little, too late

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Synonym Study

Little, diminutive, minute, small refer to that which is not large or significant. Little (the opposite of big ) is very general, covering size, extent, number, quantity, amount, duration, or degree: a little boy; a little time. Small (the opposite of large and of great ) can many times be used interchangeably with little, but is especially applied to what is limited or below the average in size: small oranges. Diminutive denotes (usually physical) size that is much less than the average or ordinary; it may suggest delicacy: the baby's diminutive fingers; diminutive in size but autocratic in manner. Minute suggests that which is so tiny it is difficult to discern, or that which implies attentiveness to the smallest details: a minute quantity; a minute exam.

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Example Sentences

But Babylon asks us to do a little more: It wants us to empathize.

From The Daily Beast

Everybody is trapped in an elevator together and tempers run a little hot.

From The Daily Beast

How about baby drama with little Abijean and the Wee Baby Seamus?

From The Daily Beast

I was a little mystified at how benignly he responded to my questions about his business activities.

From The Daily Beast

Scalise spoke briefly, adding little of substance, saying that the people back home know him best.

From The Daily Beast

It is most peculiar, and when he plays that way, the most bewitching little expression comes over his face.

From Project Gutenberg

In less than ten minutes, the bivouac was broken up, and our little army on the march.

From Project Gutenberg

A little boy of four was moved to passionate grief at the sight of a dead dog taken from a pond.

From Project Gutenberg

Squinty could look out, but the slats were as close together as those in a chicken coop, and the little pig could not get out.

From Project Gutenberg

We should have to admit that the new law does little or nothing to relieve such a situation.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

littery Little Alföld

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