little

lit-tle · adjective

imported

Definitions

adjective

  1. 1.

    Small in size, amount, or degree.

  2. 2.

    Young.

  3. 3.

    Unimportant; trivial.

  4. 4.

    A small amount of.

  5. 5.

    To a small extent; slightly.

  6. 6.

    A small amount.

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    little by little — Gradually.
  • •
    a little bit — A small amount.
  • •
    make little of — Treat as unimportant.
  • •
    little or nothing — Almost nothing.
  • •
    in little — On a small scale.
  • •
    not a little — Quite a lot (formal).
  • •
    little finger — The smallest finger.
  • •
    precious little — Very little.

Related words

Antonyms: big, large, much
See also: big, few, least, less, small
Synonyms: minor, slight, small, tiny

Etymology

From Old English lytel, lȳtel ("small, not large, short"), from Proto-Germanic lūtilaz. Related to Dutch luttel ("little") and German dialectal lützel.