little

play

adjective lit·tle \ ˈli-tᵊl \

Definition of little

littler play \ˈli-tᵊl-ər, ˈlit-lər\ or less play \ˈles\ or lesser play \ˈle-sər\; littlest play \ˈli-tᵊl-əst, ˈlit-ləst\ or least play \ˈlēst\

1 :not big: such as

a :small in size or extent :tiny

has little feet

b :young

was too little to remember

c of a plant or animal :small in comparison with related forms —used in vernacular names

d :having few members or inhabitants

a little group

little towns

e :small in condition, distinction, or scope

big business trampling on the little fellow

f :narrow, mean

the pettiness of little minds

g :pleasingly small

a cute little thing

h —used as an intensive

why, you little devil!

2 :not much: such as

a :existing only in a small amount or to a slight degree

has little money

b :short in duration :brief

There is little time left.

c :existing to an appreciable though not extensive degree or amount —used with a

had a little money in the bank

3 :small in importance or interest :trivial

a few little problems to be dealt with

—

littleness

play \ˈli-tᵊl-nəs\ noun

See little defined for English-language learners

See little defined for kids

Examples of little in a Sentence

I have very little money, so I can't lend you any.
I have less money than I did before.
I got very little sleep last night.
There's little hope of a rescue now.
You have little choice but to pay attention.
The new version bears little resemblance to the original.
These programs have very little chance of succeeding.
These trinkets have little or no value.
We're having a little party this weekend.
a little group of people

Recent Examples of little from the Web

On display against Holy Cross will be a team that appears to have decent top-line talent but little depth.

— mike anthony, courant.com, "As New Season Kicks Off, UConn Players Say Edsall Has Them More Than Ready," 30 Aug. 2017
Those who already dislike him will find little to like in his hurricane response.

— linda feldmann, The Christian Science Monitor, "Harvey tests Trump on leadership – and on policy," 30 Aug. 2017
The residents of Arbor Terrace, a senior living facility in the now-underwater Kingwood Town Center, had little time to grab anything.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "Harvey again makes 2nd landfall in Louisiana, this time as a tropical storm," 30 Aug. 2017
Prior to the study, published in the health journal BMC Obesity, little research had evaluated dishes specifically designed for portion control, the university said.

— staff, cleveland.com, "Comment here on cleveland.com court and crime stories for Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017," 30 Aug. 2017
Chop suey is not the only Chinese-American dish that has little connection to Chinese cuisine.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "Chop Suey: An American Classic," 29 Aug. 2017
Even as Trump’s political team seeks to distance the president from what his company is doing, Trump has done little to assist them.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "Trump's Business Dealings Come Back to Haunt Him," 29 Aug. 2017
And there's little room for error, with Reseda playing Thursday this week against Chavez.

— eric sondheimer, latimes.com, "Excessive heat warning causes Reseda to hold 6 a.m. football practice," 29 Aug. 2017
After strapping into the game's first beta on PC, however, that two-month span began to feel a little more epic.

— sam machkovech, Ars Technica, "Waiting for Destiny 2 on PC just got harder thanks to a drool-worthy beta," 28 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'little.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of little

Middle English littel, from Old English lȳtel; akin to Old High German luzzil little

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

little Synonyms

Synonyms

short, low, low-lying, low-slung, sawed-off

Antonyms

altitudinous, high, lofty, tall, towering

Related Words

dwarf, dwarfish; compact, petite, slight; diminutive, half-pint, pint-size (or pint-sized), pocket, pocket-size (also pocket-sized), pygmy, small, smallish; bantam, bitty, dinky, mini, miniature, minimized, minute, puny, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, undersized (also undersize), wee; dumpy, flat, scrubby, squat, squatty, stubby, stumpy, stunted

Near Antonyms

elevated, lifted, raised, uplifted, upswept; high-rise, statuesque; gangling, gangly, lanky, rangy; big, bulky, hefty, hulking, large, largish, outsize (also outsized), oversize (or oversized), sizable (or sizeable), voluminous

Synonym Discussion of little

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

little

adverb

Definition of little

less play \ˈles\; least play \ˈlēst\

1 a :in only a small quantity or degree :slightly

facts that were little known at the time

b :not at all

cared little for their neighbors

2 :rarely, infrequently

See little defined for English-language learners

Examples of little in a Sentence

She works very little and sleeps even less.
Please speak as little as possible.
We had little more than we needed.
His art is little known in this country.

Recent Examples of little from the Web

That’s a little more than half the number of deer reported in 2008-09, the first year Louisiana hunters were required to tag and report their deer.

— todd masson, NOLA.com, "Promising signs for Louisiana's 2017 deer season," 30 Aug. 2017
Carolina’s top position battle this preseason has gotten a little more high-stakes.

— jourdan rodrigue and joseph person, charlotteobserver, "Sources: With depth available, Panthers gauging trade interest in 2 ahead of cuts," 30 Aug. 2017
When looking just at base pay – salaries that are directly controlled by UC administrators – the picture shines a little brighter for women, but large pay equity issues remain.

— phillip reese, sacbee, "All 35 of the University of California’s highest-paid employees in 2016 were men," 28 Aug. 2017
But with so much going on in the battle for the Seven Kingdoms, there’s one very important character who deserves a little more attention: the Night King.

— chanel vargas, Harper's BAZAAR, "Bran Stark and the Night King Might Share One Important Power, According to This Fan Theory," 25 Aug. 2017
With the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I now just a little more than a year away, his book provides a timely and thoughtful examination of the war that was supposed to end all others.

— bob kustra and the reader’s corner team, idahostatesman, "Examining World War I through the lenses of loyalty and rebellion," 25 Aug. 2017
For a time, the smokehouse was little more than a ruin, with only portions of two walls remaining.

— elizabeth finkelstein, Country Living, "This is the Stone Farmhouse We've Been Waiting Our Whole Lives to Buy," 24 Aug. 2017
How the music is portrayed is different — the musicians will be a little more front and center.

— richard chang, Daily Pilot, "‘Once’ will open SCR's season with an unconventional musical love story," 24 Aug. 2017
Each time, his head goes back a little more, belly rising to the sky.

— matt grant, Longreads, "In a Swimming Pool, Learning to Trust," 21 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of little

see ¹little

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

little Synonyms

Synonyms

negligibly, nominally, slightly, a bit, a trifle

Antonyms

awful, awfully, beastly, considerably, deadly, especially, exceedingly (also exceeding), extensively, extra, extremely, far, frightfully, full, greatly, heavily, highly, jolly, mightily, mighty, mortally, most, much, particularly, rattling, real, right, significantly, so, something, substantially, super, terribly, too, very, whacking

Related Words

meagerly, scantily; barely, hardly, just, marginally, minimally, scarcely

Near Antonyms

completely, entirely, purely, thoroughly, totally, utterly; eminently, exceptionally; appreciably, discernibly, noticeably, palpably; abundantly, plentifully; generously, handsomely, liberally; astronomically, grandly, hugely, monstrously, monumentally

little

noun

Definition of little

1 :a small amount, quantity, or degree; also :practically nothing

little has changed

2 a :a short time

b :a short distance

— a little

:somewhat, rather

found the play a little dull

— in little

:on a small scale; especially :in miniature

Examples of little in a Sentence

there's just a little of the pie left

Recent Examples of little from the Web

Preferably both: Call to say hi. Call to talk to the littles.

— carolyn hax, Philly.com, "Regretting a thigh tattoo from wilder days," 23 July 2017
Numerous bedding plants may look a little stressed now: Impatiens, begonias, salvias and geraniums can be struggling.

— dan gill, NOLA.com, "When is the best time to plant tomatoes for fall harvest? Dan Gill's mailbag," 15 July 2017
Only customers under the carrier are able to get full access to the album with others having to wait a little while longer.

— desire thompson, Billboard, "Stream JAY-Z's 13th Studio Album '4:44'," 30 June 2017
Madrid bar aims to cash in on traditional afternoon snooze Spain debates work-life balance in fast-moving corporate world There’s little that’s more Spanish than the afternoon siesta.

— maria tadeo, Bloomberg.com, "Spanish Siesta Culture Lets Entrepreneur Turn Naps Into Gold," 29 June 2017
Trai Turner ran onto the Carolina Panthers’ practice field Tuesday a little late after having flight issues following the long holiday weekend.

— joseph person, charlotteobserver, "Next Carolina Panthers player in line to get paid in free agency won’t come cheap," 1 June 2017
For extra aroma, add a little peeled and minced ginger to each bowl along with the onion and cilantro garnish.

— charles lam, NBC News, "Chefs Share Dishes Inspired by Family Recipes for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month," 11 May 2017
Fans of history, you’re going to have to wait a little while longer for the fifth and final volume of Robert Caro’s opus on President Lyndon Johnson.

— connie ogle, miamiherald, "Robert Caro’s got a new book out (but sorry — it’s not about LBJ )," 9 May 2017
This is a little remarked element of this long debate.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Hey, Remember the Keystone XL Pipeline?," 4 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of little

see ¹little

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

little Synonyms

LITTLE Defined for English Language Learners

little

play

adjective

Definition of little for English Language Learners

: small in size
: not tall
: small in amount

little

adverb

Definition of little for English Language Learners

: in a very small amount or degree
: hardly at all : not very much
: not very often

LITTLE Defined for Kids

little

play

adjective lit·tle \ ˈli-tᵊl \

Definition of little for Students

littler \ˈlit-lər\ or less \ˈləs\; littlest \ˈlit-ləst\ or least \ˈlēst\

1 :small in size

a little house

2 :small in quantity

They had little food to eat.

3 :¹young 1

little children

4 :short in duration or extent

We had a little chat.

5 :small in importance

It's a little problem.

6 :¹narrow 3

little

adverb

Definition of little for Students

less \ˈles\; least \ˈlēst\

:in a very small quantity or degree

The history is little known.

— little by little

:by small steps or amounts :gradually

little

noun

Definition of little for Students

:a small amount or quantity She knows very little.

Medical Dictionary

little

play

adjective lit·tle \ ˈlit-ᵊl \

medical Definition of little

littler play \ˈlit-ᵊl-ər, ˈlit-lər\ or less play \ˈles\ or lesser play \ˈles-ər\; littlest play \ˈlit-ᵊl-əst, ˈlit-ləst\ or least play \ˈlēst\

:not big: as

a :small in size or extent

has little feet

b of a plant or animal :small in comparison with related forms —used in vernacular names

Learn More about little

See words that rhyme with little Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for little Spanish Central: Translation of little Nglish: Translation of little for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of little for Arabic speakers

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little

Definition of little

littleness

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little Synonyms

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Synonym Discussion of little

little

Definition of little

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Recent Examples of little from the Web

Origin and Etymology of little

little Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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little

Definition of little

Examples of little in a Sentence

Recent Examples of little from the Web

Origin and Etymology of little

little Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

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LITTLE Defined for English Language Learners

little

Definition of little for English Language Learners

little

Definition of little for English Language Learners

LITTLE Defined for Kids

little

Definition of little for Students

little

Definition of little for Students

little

Definition of little for Students

Medical Dictionary

little

medical Definition of little

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