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 smaller

In this smaller town, there are only five families, the village chief says.

The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway |Nina Strochlic |December 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Before the Eric Garner decision, there were smaller Ferguson-inspired protests in New York.

Eric Garner Protesters Have a Direct Line to City Hall |Jacob Siegel |December 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
After all, smaller developing nations like Cameroon often depend on trade with and aid from the West.

The Straight Hero of Cameroon’s Gays |Jay Michaelson |December 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Paddle8 works better than a smaller regional auction house because it is nimbler and its costs—to the seller and buyer—are lower.

William, Kate, and Jay Z’s Favorite Art Star: Alexander Gilkes' World of Rock Stars and Royalty |Tim Teeman |December 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

The low wine then goes through a second distillation phase in a smaller spirit still—but more on that in a moment.

When It Comes to Great Whisky, The Size of Your Still Matters | |December 9, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The smaller male hardly tapers behind, but is incurved and ends in a short, blunt, conical tail.

A System of Practical Medicine By American Authors, Vol. II |Various
On either side of the rose window are small lancet windows with smaller blind arches on each side of them.

The Cathedral Church of York |A. Clutton-Brock
But why enumerate these smaller features of discomfort and omit the more glaring ones?

Charles O'Malley, The Irish Dragoon, Volume 1 (of 2) |Charles Lever
Figs. 76–80 are only represented on a smaller scale than the remaining Figs.

Studies in the Theory of Descent (Volumes 1 and 2) |August Weismann
The centrifugal wringer, or dryer, consists of a tub, inside of which is a smaller tub with perforated sides.

Mechanical Devices in the Home |Edith Louise Allen

British Dictionary definitions for smaller

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 smaller

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 smaller

British Dictionary definitions for smaller

adjective

adverb

noun

Derived forms of small

Word Origin for small

Idioms and Phrases with smaller

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 smaller

Example sentences from the Web for smaller

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

adjective

adverb

noun

Derived forms of small

Word Origin for small

Idioms and Phrases with smaller

British Dictionary definitions for smaller