little

[ lit-l ]

/ ˈlɪt l /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR little ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

short in duration; not extensive; short; brief: a little while.

small in number: a little group of scientists.

small in amount or degree; not much: little hope.

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.

Idioms for little

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,

belittle: to make little of one's troubles.
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.

Origin of little

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

SYNONYMS FOR little

1–4 tiny, teeny, wee. 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.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR little ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM little

lit·tlish

[lit-l-ish, lit-lish] /ˈlɪt l ɪʃ, ˈlɪt lɪʃ/, adjective lit·tle·ness, noun

Words nearby little

litteratim, litterbag, litterbug, littermate, littery, little, little abaco, little alföld, little alliance, little america, little auk

British Dictionary definitions for a little

little

/ (ˈlɪtəl) /

determiner

(often preceded by a)

a small quantity, extent, or duration ofthe little hope there is left; very little milk
(as pronoun)save a little for me

not much little damage was done

make little of See make of (def. 3)

not a little

very
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 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

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

See also less, lesser, least, littler, littlest

Word Origin for little

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

Idioms and Phrases with a little (1 of 2)

a little

A small amount, as in Will you have some more meat? Yes, just a little. [Early 1400s]

Somewhat or rather, slightly, as in I am a little annoyed with Harry. [Late 1300s] For a synonym, see a bit.

Idioms and Phrases with a little (2 of 2)

little

In addition to the idioms beginning with little

little bird told one, a
little by little
little frog in a big pond
little knowledge is a dangerous thing, a
little pitchers have big ears

also see:

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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

little

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

adverb, less, least.

noun

Idioms for little

Origin of little

SYNONYMS FOR little

OTHER WORDS FROM little

Words nearby little

British Dictionary definitions for a little

determiner

adjective

adverb

Word Origin for little

Idioms and Phrases with a little (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with a little (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

little

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

adverb, less, least.

noun

Idioms for little

Origin of little

SYNONYMS FOR little

OTHER WORDS FROM little

Words nearby little

Words related to a little

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determiner

adjective

adverb

Word Origin for little

Idioms and Phrases with a little (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with a little (2 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for a little