little
Other forms: littlest; littles
Anything small, brief, young, or unimportant can be described as little. If you live in a little cottage, it means your house is very small, and quite possibly adorable.
The word little describes something tiny and sweet, like a little kitten or a little doll house rocking chair. Little can also mean some, but not much, like when you only want a little soup — not a big bowl, or when you put little effort into your appearance when you are doing yard work. The expression little by little means very slowly, or by tiny increments, like learning a new language little by little.
Definitions of little
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limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent“a little dining room”“a little house”“a little (or small) group”
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synonyms:
small
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atomic
immeasurably small
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subatomic
of smaller than atomic dimensions
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bantam, diminutive, flyspeck, lilliputian, midget, petite, tiny
very small
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bittie, bitty, itsy-bitsy, itty-bitty, teensy, teensy-weensy, teentsy, teeny, teeny-weeny, wee, weensy, weeny
(used informally) very small
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dinky
small and insignificant
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dwarfish
atypically small
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elfin, elflike
small and delicate
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gnomish
used of small deformed creatures
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half-size
half the usual or regular size
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infinitesimal, minute
infinitely or immeasurably small
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lesser
smaller in size or amount or value
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microscopic, microscopical
so small as to be invisible without a microscope
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micro
extremely small in scale or scope or capability
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miniature
being on a very small scale
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miniscule, minuscule
very small
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olive-sized
about the size of an olive
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pocket-size, pocket-sized, pocketable
small enough to be carried in a garment pocket
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puny, runty, shrimpy
(used especially of persons) of inferior size
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slender, slim
small in quantity
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littler, smaller
small or little relative to something else
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smallish
rather small
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small-scale
created or drawn on a small scale
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undersize, undersized
smaller than normal for its kind
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Antonyms:
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big, large
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
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ample, sizable, sizeable
fairly large
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astronomic, astronomical, galactic
inconceivably large
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bear-sized
large as a bear
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bigger, larger
large or big relative to something else
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biggish, largish
somewhat large
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blown-up, enlarged
as of a photograph; made larger
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bouffant, puffy
being puffed out; used of hair style or clothing
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broad, spacious, wide
very large in expanse or scope
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bulky
of large size for its weight
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capacious
large in capacity
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colossal, prodigious, stupendous
so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe
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deep
large in quantity or size
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double
large enough for two
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enormous, tremendous
extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree
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cosmic
inconceivably extended in space or time
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elephantine, gargantuan, giant, jumbo
of great mass; huge and bulky
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epic, heroic, larger-than-life
very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)
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extended, extensive
large in spatial extent or range or scope or quantity
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gigantic, mammoth
so exceedingly large or extensive as to suggest a giant or mammoth
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great
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
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grand
large and impressive in physical size or extent
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Brobdingnagian, huge, immense, vast
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
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hulking, hulky
of great size and bulk
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banging, humongous, thumping, walloping, whopping
(used informally) very large
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king-size, king-sized
extra large
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large-mouthed
having a relatively large mouth
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large-scale
unusually large in scope
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large-scale
constructed or drawn to a big scale
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full-size, life-size, life-sized, lifesize
being of the same size as an original
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macroscopic, macroscopical
large enough to be visible with the naked eye
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macro
very large in scale or scope or capability
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man-sized
very large; appropriate to the size of a man
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massive, monolithic, monumental
imposing in size or bulk or solidity
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massive
imposing in scale or scope or degree or power
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medium-large
of anything that is large but not the largest
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monstrous
abnormally large
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mountainous
like a mountain in size and impressiveness
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outsize, outsized, oversize, oversized
larger than normal for its kind
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overlarge, too large
excessively large
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plumping
very large; of exceptional size for its kind
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queen-size, queen-sized
(used especially of beds) not as large as king-size
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rangy
allowing ample room for ranging
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super
extremely large
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titanic
of great force or power
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volumed
formed or rising in rounded masses
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voluminous
large in volume or bulk
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whacking
(British informal) enormous
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wide-ranging
including much
- show more antonyms...
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atomic
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(quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with `a') at least some“little rain fell in May”“gave it little thought”“little time is left”“we still have little money”“a little hope remained”
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synonyms:
slight
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small
slight or limited; especially in degree or intensity or scope
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less
(comparative of `little' usually used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning not as great in amount or degree
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Antonyms:
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much
(quantifier used with mass nouns) great in quantity or degree or extent
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overmuch
very great in quantity; overabundant
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some
relatively much but unspecified in amount or extent
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such
of so extreme a degree or extent
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untold
of an incalculable amount
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more, more than
(comparative of `much' used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
- show more antonyms...
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small
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low in stature; not tall“a little man”
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synonyms:
short
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low
literal meanings; being at or having a relatively small elevation or upward extension
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chunky, dumpy, low-set, squat, squatty, stumpy
short and thick; as e.g. having short legs and heavy musculature
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compact, heavyset, stocky, thick, thickset
having a short and solid form or stature
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half-length
representing only the upper half of the body
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pint-size, pint-sized, runty, sawed-off, sawn-off
well below average height
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short-stalked
of plants having relatively short stalks
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squab, squabby
short and fat
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Antonyms:
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tall
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
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high
(literal meaning) being at or having a relatively great or specific elevation or upward extension (sometimes used in combinations like `knee-high')
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big, large
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
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gangling, gangly, lanky, rangy
tall and thin and having long slender limbs
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in height
having a specified height
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leggy, long-legged, long-shanked
having long legs
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leggy, tall-growing
(of plants) having tall spindly stems
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long
of relatively great height
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long-stalked, tall-stalked
of plants having relatively long stalks
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stately, statuesque
of size and dignity suggestive of a statue
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tallish
somewhat tall
- show more antonyms...
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low
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(of children and animals) young, immature
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(informal) small and of little importance“a little (or small) matter”
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unimportant
not important
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unimportant
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(of a voice) faint
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lowercase
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not much“he talked little about his family”
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a small amount or duration“he accepted the little they gave him”
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type of:
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small indefinite amount, small indefinite quantity
an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude
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small indefinite amount, small indefinite quantity
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small in a way that arouses feelings (of tenderness or its opposite depending on the context)“a nice little job”“bless your little heart”“my dear little mother”“a sweet little deal”“I'm tired of your petty little schemes”“filthy little tricks”“what a nasty little situation”
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Synonyms:
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emotional
of more than usual emotion
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emotional
Pronunciation
US
/ˈlɪdl/
UK
/ˈlɪtəl/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘little'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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