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little
[lit-l]
adjective
small in size; not big; not large; tiny.
a little desk in the corner of the room.
Synonyms: , ,short in duration; not extensive; short; brief.
a little while.
Synonyms: , ,small in number.
a little group of scientists.
Synonyms: , ,small in amount or degree; not much.
little hope.
Synonyms: , ,of a certain amount; appreciable (usually preceded bya ).
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
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
/ ˈɪə /
determiner
(often preceded by a)
a small quantity, extent, or duration of
the little hope there is left
very little milk
( as pronoun )
save a little for me
not much
little damage was done
See make of
very
a lot
a considerable amount
to have a low opinion of
adjective
of small or less than average size
young
a little boy
our little ones
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
a person's secret intention or business
so that's his little game!
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
by small degrees
Other Word Forms
- littlish adjective
- littleness noun
Word History and Origins
Origin of little1
Word History and Origins
Origin of little1
Idioms and Phrases
think little of, to treat casually; regard as trivial.
They think little of driving 50 miles to see a movie.
little by little, by small degrees; gradually.
The water level rose little by little.
make little of,
to belittle.
to make little of one's troubles.
to understand or interpret only slightly.
Scholars made little of the newly discovered text.
in little, on a small scale; in miniature.
a replica in little of Independence Hall.
not a little, to a great extent; very much; considerably.
It tired me not a little to stand for three hours.
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Apart from Boland the specialist bowling stocks are a little bare with the likes of Beau Webster and Green likely to fill the breach.
“I speak perfect English. I also speak perfect Spanish. I’m bilingual, but that doesn’t mean that I have to be picked out, like, ‘This guys seems Latino; this guy seems a little bit dirty.’
For the other half of patients, the chance of being named gets a little smaller with every day that the phone doesn’t ring.
“It’s a little hard to face sometimes,” Ana said.
As he told me in 2017, “I had my little girl, and I got married. All that trust, I built it, little by little with my family members,” he said.
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Related Words
When To Use
Little describes something that is small in size. Little also describes a short time. And little can refer to a small amount of something. Little has many other senses as an adjective, adverb, and noun.If something is little, it is tiny or physically small. Little is the opposite of words like big, huge, and gigantic. The noun form of this sense is littleness.Real-life examples: Newborn babies are little. A single grain of sand is little. A dime is a little coin compared to quarters and nickels.Used in a sentence: I found a little piece of paper tucked inside the small book. Little also describes a short amount of time. This sense is commonly used as “a little while” or “a little bit.” This sense is a synonym of words like brief or short.Real-life examples: A five-minute rest is a little break. You might go away for a weekend and call it a little vacation. You might stay at a friend’s house for a little while before saying goodbye. And 367 days is a little over a year.Used in a sentence: We stopped at the gas station for a little bit to fill up the car before continuing our trip. Little can also describe a small amount of something.Real-life examples: A chef might add a little salt to a recipe. There might be a little rain on a cloudy day. A new chess player usually has little chance of beating a professional.Used in a sentence: She added to the romantic atmosphere by playing a little music. Little is also used in this sense as a noun.Used in a sentence: If you are looking for paint, there is a little in the supply closet.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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