slight

adjective

ˈslīt 

1

a

: having a slim or delicate build : not stout or massive in body

b

: lacking in strength or substance : flimsy, frail

c

: deficient in weight, solidity, or importance : trivial

a slight movie

2

: small of its kind or in amount

a slight chance

a slight odor of gas

slightly adverb

slightness noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it slight or sleight of hand?

Slight is a homophone of sleight, and feels like it makes sense in this idiom, but sleight of hand is the correct form when referring to a cleverly executed trick. Sleight means "deceitful craftiness" or "stratagem," and slight means "having a slim or delicate build"; a slim person is sometimes described as being "slight of build."

What is the difference between sleight and slight?

Slight is the far more common word. In modern use it can be a verb meaning "to offend or insult someone" (as in "slighted by a rude colleague"), or a noun closely related to that verb ("the colleague's remark could only be seen as a slight"), or it can be an adjective describing people and things that are slim, frail, small, or trivial ("a slight figure," "a slight chance," "a slight movie"). Sleight is a noun that can refer either to a deceitful kind of craftiness, or to skill and dexterity. It is typically found in the phrase "sleight of hand," or variations on that phrase (as in "sleight of pen").

Is the correct phrase sleight chance or slight chance?

Slight chance: slight in this case means "small." If rain is possible but not very likely on a given day, there's a slight chance of rain. If you buy only one of 500 raffle tickets sold, you have a slight chance of winning.

Synonyms of slight

• weak
• weakened
• feeble
• faint
• frail

Choose the Right Synonym for slight

thin, slender, slim, slight, tenuous mean not thick, broad, abundant, or dense.

thin implies comparatively little extension between surfaces or in diameter, or it may imply lack of substance, richness, or abundance.

thin wire

a thin soup

slender implies leanness or spareness often with grace and good proportion.

the slender legs of a Sheraton chair

slim applies to slenderness that suggests fragility or scantiness.

a slim volume of poetry

a slim chance

slight implies smallness as well as thinness.

a slight build

tenuous implies extreme thinness, sheerness, or lack of substance and firmness.

a tenuous thread

Examples of slight in a Sentence

There is a slight chance of rain.

Her head is tilted at a slight angle in the picture.

If you have even the slightest doubt, then don't do it.

Recent Examples on the Web

Hilton on Thursday maintained his slight lead over Democrat Xavier Becerra, the former California attorney general and Health and Human Services secretary in the Biden administration, while billionaire progressive Tom Steyer trailed in third place. —Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026

The driver is seen singing happily to himself, then glancing out his window with a slight look of concern as the sound of the jet’s whining engines begins on the recording. —ABC News, 4 June 2026

The eclipse — including both the slight penumbral (when the moon drifts into Earth's fuzzy outer shadow) and partial phases — will last 5 hours, 38 minutes. —Jamie Carter, Space.com, 4 June 2026

This slight gain puts it on track for its 10th straight positive week in a row, which would mark the longest positive streak for the index since 1985. —Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 4 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, smooth, slight, probably from Old English sliht- (in eorth-slihtes level with the ground); akin to Old High German sleht smooth, slīhhan to glide — more at slick entry 2

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for slight

• bight
• bite
• blight
• byte
• cite
• dight
• fight
• fite
• flight
• fright
• height
• hight

Kids Definition

slight

1 of 3 adjective

ˈslīt 

1

a

: having a slim or delicate build : not stout

b

: lacking in strength or substance : flimsy, frail

c

: lacking weight, solidity, or importance : trivial

2

: small of its kind or in amount

slightly adverb

slightness noun

slight

2 of 3 verb

1

: to treat with disrespect

2

: to perform or attend to carelessly and without proper attention to detail

slight

3 of 3 noun

1

: an act or an instance of slighting

2

: a humiliating discourtesy