small

[ smawl ]

/ smɔl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR small ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, small·er, small·est.

of limited size; of comparatively restricted dimensions; not big; little: a small box.

slender, thin, or narrow: a small waist.

not large as compared with others of the same kind: a small elephant.

(of letters) lowercase(def 1).

not great in amount, degree, extent, duration, value, etc.: a small salary.

not great numerically: a small army.

of low numerical value; denoted by a low number.

having but little land, capital, power, influence, etc., or carrying on business or some activity on a limited scale: a small enterprise.

of minor importance, moment, weight, or consequence: a small problem.

humble, modest, or unpretentious: small circumstances.

characterized by or indicative of littleness of mind or character; mean-spirited; petty: a small, miserly man.

of little strength or force: a small effort.

(of sound or the voice) gentle; with little volume.

very young: when I was a small boy.

diluted; weak.

adverb, small·er, small·est.

in a small manner: They talked big but lived small.

into small pieces: Slice the cake small.

in low tones; softly.

noun

something that is small: Do you prefer the small or the large?

a small or narrow part, as of the back.

those who are small: Democracy benefits the great and the small.

smalls, small goods or products.

smalls, British.

underclothes.
household linen, as napkins, pillowcases, etc.

smalls, British Informal. the responsions at Oxford University.

smalls, Mining. coal, ore, gangue, etc., in fine particles.

Idioms for small

feel small, to be ashamed or mortified: Her unselfishness made me feel small.

Origin of small

before 900; Middle English smale (adj., noun, and adv.), Old English smæl; cognate with Dutch smal, German schmal

SYNONYMS FOR small

1 tiny. See little.

2 slight.

1, 3, 5 Smaller, less indicate a diminution, or not so large a size or quantity in some respect. Smaller, as applied to concrete objects, is used with reference to size: smaller apples. Less is used of material in bulk, with reference to amount, and in cases where attributes such as value and degree are in question: A nickel is less than a dime (in value). A sergeant is less than a lieutenant (in rank). As an abstraction, amount may be either smaller or less, though smaller is usually used when the idea of size is suggested: a smaller opportunity. Less is used when the idea of quantity is present: less courage.

9 trifling, petty, unimportant, minor, secondary, nugatory, inconsequential, paltry, insignificant.

11 small-minded, narrow-minded, mean, selfish, narrow.

12 feeble.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR small ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR small

1 large, big.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR small ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM small

small·ness, noun ul·tra·small, adjective

Words nearby small

smackdown, smacker, smackeroo, smackhead, smacking, small, small advertisement, small arm, small arms, small beer, small business administration

Example sentences from the Web for smallness

Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni, in smallness and in height.

For Short Men in 2014, The News Is Surprisingly Good |Kevin Bleyer |September 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Their smallness brings us back to ourselves, marshals our focus, endows the future with its potential, its possibility.

The Promise of Happiness After the Newtown Shooting |William Giraldi |January 27, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
The Daily Pic: Corban Walker expands on issues of smallness.

Large as Life |Blake Gopnik |November 26, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Indeed what's most depressing about Ngai's terms is their smallness, their triviality.

Zany, Cute, Interesting: What the Words We Use Say About Us |Benjamin Lytal |October 23, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

And he portrays himself as the candidate of big ideas who struggles with the smallness of American politics.

Newt Gingrich’s Zombie Campaign, Neither Dead nor Alive |Howard Kurtz |March 29, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
The males were tolerably good and were known by the smallness of their two fore-claws or feeders.

A Voyage to the South Sea |William Bligh
The proceeds of the sale amounted to about £1000—a large sum, considering the smallness of the farm.

Cattle and Cattle-breeders |William M'Combie
The oppression of the subscriptions is tempered by the smallness of the sum which may satisfy them.

Seven English Cities |William Dean Howells
The smallness of the quantity in currency only heightens the value.

Selections from the Speeches and Writings of Edmund Burke |Edmund Burke
This, with a half-apologetic air, as if to deprecate its smallness, I produced from my pocket and handed to him.

Dead Man's Rock |Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

British Dictionary definitions for smallness

small

/ (smɔːl) /

adjective

comparatively little; limited in size, number, importance, etc

of little importance or on a minor scale a small business

lacking in moral or mental breadth or depth a small mind

modest or humble small beginnings

of low or inferior status, esp socially

(of a child or animal) young; not mature

unimportant, trivial a small matter

not outstanding a small actor

of, relating to, or designating the ordinary modern minuscule letter used in printing and cursive writing Compare capital 1 (def. 13) See also lower case

lacking great strength or force a small effort

in fine particles small gravel

obsolete (of beer, etc) of low alcoholic strength

adverb

into small pieces you have to cut it small

in a small or soft manner

feel small to be humiliated or inferior

noun

the small an object, person, or group considered to be small do you want the small or the large?

a small slender part, esp of the back

(plural) informal, mainly British items of personal laundry, such as underwear

Derived forms of small

smallish, adjective smallness, noun

Word Origin for small

Old English smæl; related to Old High German smal, Old Norse smali small cattle

Idioms and Phrases with smallness

small

In addition to the idioms beginning with small

small beer
small cog in a large wheel
small frog in a big pond
small fry
small hours
small print
small talk
small time
small wonder

also see:

big fish in a small pond
(small) cog in the wheel
give thanks for small blessings
it's a small world
little (small) frog in a big pond
make a (small) fortune
no (small) wonder
still small voice

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

small

adjective, small·er, small·est.

adverb, small·er, small·est.

noun

Idioms for small

Origin of small

SYNONYMS FOR small

ANTONYMS FOR small

OTHER WORDS FROM small

Words nearby small

Example sentences from the Web for smallness

British Dictionary definitions for smallness

adjective

adverb

noun

Derived forms of small

Word Origin for small

Idioms and Phrases with smallness

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

small

adjective, small·er, small·est.

adverb, small·er, small·est.

noun

Idioms for small

Origin of small

SYNONYMS FOR small

ANTONYMS FOR small

OTHER WORDS FROM small

Words nearby small

Words related to smallness

Example sentences from the Web for smallness

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for smallness

adjective

adverb

noun

Derived forms of small

Word Origin for small

Idioms and Phrases with smallness

British Dictionary definitions for smallness