small

¹small

adjective \ˈsmȯl\

Definition of SMALL

1

a : having comparatively little size or slight dimensions

b : lowercase

2

a : minor in influence, power, or rank

b : operating on a limited scale

3

: lacking in strength <a small voice>

4

a : little or close to zero in an objectively measurable aspect (as quantity)

b : made up of few or little units

5

a : of little consequence : trivial

b : humble, modest

6

: limited in degree

7

a : mean, petty

b : reduced to a humiliating position

— small·ish \ˈsmȯ-lish\ adjective

— small·ness \ˈsmȯl-nəs\ noun

Examples of SMALL

1. They live in a small house.
2. a small glass of soda
3. She moved to a smaller town.
4. The toy is small enough to fit in my pocket.
5. This room is a little smaller than that one.
6. The movie was a small success.
7. There are still a few small details we have to deal with.
8. It's only a small mistake.
9. The change had only a small impact on the community.

Origin of SMALL

Middle English smal, from Old English smæl; akin to Old High German smal small, Greek mēlon small domestic animal

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to SMALL

Synonyms

bantam, diminutive, dinky, dwarfish, fine, half-pint, Lilliputian, little, pint-size (or pint-sized), pocket, pocket-size (also pocket-sized), puny, pygmy, shrimpy, slight, smallish, subnormal, toylike, undersized (also undersize)

Antonyms

big, biggish, considerable, goodly, grand, great, handsome, husky, king-size (or king-sized), large, largish, outsize (also outsized), overscale (or overscaled), oversize (or oversized), sizable (or sizeable), substantial, tidy, whacking, whopping

Related Words

dwarf, toy; runtish, runty, scrubby, stunted; bitty, inappreciable, infinitesimal, little bitty, micro, microscopic (also microscopical), mini, miniature, miniaturized, minikin, minim, minuscule, minute, pinpoint, teensy, teensy-weensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, wee, weeny (also weensy); meager (or meagre), niggardly, poor, scant, scanty, scarce, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparse, stingy; deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, wanting; bite-size (also bite-sized), capsule

Near Antonyms

bulky, hefty, hulking, massive, voluminous; boxcar, Brobdingnagian, Bunyanesque, cavernous, colossal, cyclopean, elephantine, enormous, galactic, gargantuan, giant, gigantic, gross, Himalayan, herculean, heroic (also heroical), huge, humongous (also humungous), immense, jumbo, leviathan, mammoth, monolithic, monstrous, monumental, mountainous, pharaonic, prodigious, staggering, stupendous, titanic, tremendous, vast; abundant, ample, appreciable, bountiful, copious, generous, healthy, liberal, plenteous, plentiful; fat, thick; broad, wide; boundless, cosmic (also cosmical), immeasurable, incalculable, infinite; adequate, enough, sufficient

Synonym Discussion of SMALL

small, little, diminutive, minute, tiny, miniature mean noticeably below average in size. small and little are often interchangeable, but small applies more to relative size determined by capacity, value, number <a relatively small backyard>. little is more absolute in implication often carrying the idea of petiteness, pettiness, insignificance, or immaturity <your pathetic little smile>. diminutive implies abnormal smallness <diminutive bonsai plants>. minute implies extreme smallness <a minute amount of caffeine in the soda>. tiny is an informal equivalent to minute <tiny cracks formed in the painting>. miniature applies to an exactly proportioned reproduction on a very small scale <a dollhouse with miniature furnishings>.

Rhymes with SMALL

all, awl, ball, bawl, brawl, call, caul, crawl, doll, drawl, fall, gall, hall, haul, kraal, mall, maul, moll, pall, pawl, Saul, scall, scrawl, shawl, spall, sprawl, squall, stall, tall, thrall, trawl, wall, yawl

²small

adverb

Definition of SMALL

1

: in or into small pieces

2

: without force or loudness <speak as small as you will — Shakespeare>

3

: in a small manner

First Known Use of SMALL

before 12th century

³small

noun

Definition of SMALL

1

: a part smaller and especially narrower than the remainder <the small of the back>

2

a plural : small-sized products

b plural chiefly British : smallclothes; especially : underwear

Examples of SMALL

1. These shirts are all smalls.
2. “What size ice-cream cones do you want?” “We'll take three larges and a small.”

First Known Use of SMALL

14th century