slight

play

adjective \ ˈslīt \

Definition of slight

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

See slight defined for English-language learners

See slight defined for kids

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 of slight from the Web

The weather is expected to be favorable in most spots with only slight cloud cover that shouldn’t impede viewing of the eclipse.

— AL.com, "Solar eclipse 2017: Best places to see, times, maps, safety tips, livestream and more," 20 Aug. 2017
Auto thefts declined by almost half, going from 38 to 20, while the slight uptick happened with incidents of theft, going from 140 last year to 145 this year.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Rancho Bernardo, "Rancho Bernardo crime trends show improvement," 17 Aug. 2017
Matthew Schuffert, vice president and general manager of Ameristar, said the casino fared well in July, despite the slight dip in revenues.

— karen caffarini, Post-Tribune, "Northwest Indiana casino revenue down for July year-over-year," 11 Aug. 2017
There are probably few people who feel even the slightest bit sorry for him.

— william d. cohan, The Hive, "The Mooch Is Dead! Long Live the Mooch!," 31 July 2017
Morgan Stanley, the only one of the firms that hasn’t released 2016 data, reported a slight improvement to 1.8 percent in 2015, still well below the U.S. level.

— max abelson, Bloomberg.com, "Black Executives Are Losing Ground at Some Big Banks," 27 July 2017
Employees who leave or are laid off regularly sue employers over the slightest of transgressions of the labour code, spurred on by litigious lawyers.

— The Economist, "Bye-bye, BenitoAn overhaul of Brazilian labour law should spur job creation," 20 July 2017
Thailand prohibits even the slightest criticism of its king, who is believed to be semi-divine.

— The Economist, "Don’t say a wordHow powerful people use criminal-defamation laws to silence their critics," 13 July 2017
That was a slight bump from the previous year, during which Louisville spent $1.646 million.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "How much does Louisville spend on recruiting compared to other ACC schools?," 6 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of slight

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

slight Synonyms

Synonyms

asthenic, debilitated, delicate, down-and-out, effete, enervated, enfeebled, faint, feeble, frail, infirm, languid, low, prostrate, prostrated, sapped, weak, soft, softened, tender, unsubstantial, wasted, weakened, wimpish, wimpy

Antonyms

mighty, powerful, rugged, stalwart, stout, strong

Related Words

challenged, disabled, incapacitated, invalid; paralyzed; broken-down, decrepit; impotent, powerless; breakable, flimsy, fragile; dizzy, groggy, rocky, unsteady, woozy; drained, exhausted, flagging, tired, weary, worn-out; damaged, harmed, hurt, impaired, injured, lame, unsound; resistless, susceptible, unresistant, vulnerable, yielding

Near Antonyms

able-bodied, athletic, beefy, brawny, fit, husky, muscular, sinewy, strapping, virile; hard, hardy, lusty, red-blooded, robust, sturdy, tough; fortified, hardened, inured, strengthened, toughened; energetic, energized, invigorated, vigorous, vitalized; hale, healthy, sound; capable, competent; convalescing, recovering, recuperating

Synonym Discussion of 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

slight

verb

Definition of slight

transitive verb

1 :to treat as slight or unimportant :make light of

2 :to treat with disdain or indifference

slight a guest

3 :to perform or attend to carelessly and inadequately

don't slight your work

See slight defined for English-language learners

Examples of slight in a Sentence

I'm sure he didn't mean to slight you.
He was slighted by his colleagues.

Recent Examples of slight from the Web

It's been slighted by history because of its comparatively low death toll, 131; the most lethal earthquake ever recorded, in 1556 in China, is thought to have killed 830,000.

— special to the oregonian, OregonLive.com, "2 new earthquake books give a visceral glimpse of devastation (review)," 27 Aug. 2017
The anthem and flag, that the players are slighting, represents the best of what this nation stands and hopes for.

— jeff darcy, cleveland.com, "Trump wants government shutdown: Darcy cartoon," 27 Aug. 2017
Trump’s trade agenda slights these cities by working primarily to reduce the threat of imports to American manufacturing rather than trying to grow the service sector by opening foreign markets.

— ronald brownstein, The Atlantic, "Trump's Trade Agenda Divides the Nation's Cities," 24 Aug. 2017
Lawson brought that belief of being slighted into his rookie season with the Bengals.

— alexa philippou, Cincinnati.com, "5 for Friday: Bengals rookies Lawson, Willis rush for rotation," 10 Aug. 2017
Drama swirled when she felt slighted by a lack of visits from the other RHOC stars.

— benjamin vanhoose, PEOPLE.com, "Vicki Gunvalson Jokes About Second RHOC Hospitalization in Two Seasons: 'They Tried to Kill Me'," 12 July 2017
That’s in no way to slight this mat, which stayed firm and comfortable throughout class.

— the si staff, SI.com, "The Best Yoga Mats 2017," 29 June 2017
With free agency approaching on Saturday the tweets clearly indicate that Jagr feels slighted by the lack of a sense of urgency shown by Panthers general manager Dale Tallon and 30 other GMs.

— harvey fialkov, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Panthers fans chant for Jagr; Tallon still undecided on bringing him back," 29 June 2017
Alford feels slighted Alford's first reaction to hearing his name called by Dallas was excitement.

— matthew vantryon, Indianapolis Star, "Remembering when everyone in Indiana hated Reggie Miller for becoming an Indiana Pacer," 22 June 2017

First Known Use of slight

1586

slight Synonyms

Synonyms

affront, dis (also diss) [slang], disrespect, offend, outrage, slap, insult, wound

Antonyms

honor, respect

Related Words

cut, snub; displease, distress, disturb, hurt, miff, pain, trouble, upset; jeer, mock, ridicule, sneer (at), taunt; defame, disparage, libel, malign, revile, slander, slur, smear; oppress, persecute, torment, torture

Near Antonyms

acclaim, applaud, approve, hail; commend, compliment, eulogize, praise; adulate, flatter, sweet-talk; exalt, glorify, honor; delight, gratify, please, satisfy

Synonym Discussion of slight

neglect, disregard, ignore, overlook, slight, forget mean to pass over without giving due attention. neglect implies giving insufficient attention to something that merits one's attention.

- habitually neglected his studies

disregard suggests voluntary inattention.

- disregarded the wishes of his family

ignore implies a failure to regard something obvious.

- ignored the snide remark

overlook suggests disregarding or ignoring through haste or lack of care.

- in my rush I overlooked a key example

slight implies contemptuous or disdainful disregarding or omitting.

- slighted several major authors in her survey

forget may suggest either a willful ignoring or a failure to impress something on one's mind.

- forget what others say

slight

noun

Definition of slight

1 :an act or an instance of slighting

2 :an instance of being slighted :a humiliating discourtesy

Examples of slight in a Sentence

refused to respond to their petty slights

Recent Examples of slight from the Web

The hypocrisy of the Left and its complete disregard for the standard rules of engagement have created a reactionary movement that feels no compulsion to respond to slight and slander with etiquette and argument.

— david l. bahnsen, National Review, "A Profound Tension Point for Conservatives," 21 Aug. 2017
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Sport James has responded to these slights rather tamely—so far.

— rohan nadkarni, SI.com, "Come at LeBron James, You Best Not Miss," 9 Aug. 2017
The former general has also been accused, without evidence, of leaking internal White House documents, of being a globalist, and of various other slights against Trump and his nationalist agenda.

— chas danner, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump and Kushner Push Back on Right-Wing Campaign to Fire McMaster, for Now," 5 Aug. 2017
A Cabinet official in the doghouse, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, suffered through a week of belittling tweets and other slights from his boss.

— justin sink, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Hits Reset Button by Ousting Priebus After Rough Week," 29 July 2017
One of the more blatant Trump's slights of Spicer came when Trump didn't allow the devout Catholic to meet Pope Francis, knowing Spicer had longed to do so when Trump and his staff visited the Vatican.

— jeff darcy, cleveland.com, "Kushner's transparency is shady: Darcy cartoon," 25 July 2017
But one area of the house is sobering for those dispensing mean-girl slights.

— brad wete, Billboard, "Why Katy Perry's 'Witness' Pop-Up Embodies What Being a Fan Is All About," 16 June 2017
Or, viciously redressing past slights, taking a 50-point lead in the playoffs over the Celtics at Boston?

— bill livingston, cleveland.com, "NBA Finals loss not the end of Cleveland Cavaliers' era as a contender: Bill Livingston," 13 June 2017
No slight was meant to Harland nor to the U.S. Army.

— CBS News, "High school insisted student cover U.S. Army uniform at graduation," 11 June 2017

First Known Use of slight

1701

slight Synonyms

SLIGHT Defined for English Language Learners

slight

play

adjective

Definition of slight for English Language Learners

: very small in degree or amount
: thin and not very strong or muscular

slight

verb

Definition of slight for English Language Learners

: to offend or insult (someone) : to treat (someone) with disrespect

SLIGHT Defined for Kids

slight

play

adjective \ ˈslīt \

Definition of slight for Students

slighter; slightest

1 :small of its kind or in amount

A slight frown puckered her forehead.
—Eleanor Estes, The Hundred Dresses

2 :thin and delicate

a trim slight figure

3 :not important :trivial

a slight wound

4 :flimsy, frail

—

slightly

adverb

slight

verb

Definition of slight for Students

slighted; slighting

:to treat without proper respect or courtesy

I didn't mean to slight her.

slight

noun

Definition of slight for Students

1 :an act or an instance of treating without proper respect or courtesy It was a deliberate slight to ignore me.

2 :an instance of being treated without proper respect or courtesy

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slight

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