fewest

adjective

as in lowest
being the least in amount, number, or size possible the gymnast won the gold medal only because he made the fewest mistakes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fewest
  1. smallest
  2. minimum
Adjective
  • While that’s painful for house hunters, note that the surge was the 18th-smallest among states and trailed the 93% jump nationally.
    — Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
Definition of smallest
Adjective
  • Simmons can’t be expected to give the Kings much in the way of shooting and floor spacing, but his size, length, defense and playmaking ability make his minimum-contract signing a low-risk, high-reward proposition for Sacramento.
    — Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The models are deliberately tuned to favor the shortest, computationally cheapest response that satisfies the bare minimum requirements of a query.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of minimum
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

fewer
fewest
fewness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fewest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fewest. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gist

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All