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as in little
of a size that is less than average the slight youth packed a surprisingly solid punch

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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slight

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noun

slight

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verb

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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective slight contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of slight are slender, slim, tenuous, and thin. While all these words mean "not thick, broad, abundant, or dense," slight implies smallness as well as thinness.

a slight build

When is slender a more appropriate choice than slight?

While in some cases nearly identical to slight, slender implies leanness or spareness often with grace and good proportion.

the slender legs of a Sheraton chair

When would slim be a good substitute for slight?

The words slim and slight can be used in similar contexts, but slim applies to slenderness that suggests fragility or scantiness.

a slim volume of poetry
a slim chance

When might tenuous be a better fit than slight?

The synonyms tenuous and slight are sometimes interchangeable, but tenuous implies extreme thinness, sheerness, or lack of substance and firmness.

a tenuous thread

When is it sensible to use thin instead of slight?

The meanings of thin and slight largely overlap; however, 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

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of slight
Adjective
The Ember report found that renewable sources not only met the world’s increasing electricity demand but also led to a slight decline in coal and gas use. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025 Wind and solar power covered all electricity demand growth in the first half of 2025, causing a slight drop in fossil fuel generation, new analysis found. Natasha Bracken, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
He was reminded that his career had been shaped by overcoming doubts and slights going back to high school, when he was offered the same amount of Division I football scholarships that were offered to the average sportswriter who covers him. Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025 The Gabriela Hearst trenchcoat dress included a double-breasted design with sinuous lapels and a thigh-high slight. Julia Teti, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
The negotiations around the three-year deals is complicated due to the fact that MLB is also trying not to slight two of its other rights holders. Joe Reedy, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025 Along with Immunis, the competing teams include a biotech company run by his best friend and several longevity clinics that felt slighted by Diamandis’s claims that Fountain Life is superior to its peers. Tad Friend, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for slight
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slight
Adjective
  • Stevenson has become more intentional with his efforts to understand offensive concepts and routes and the ways opposing teams often attack his weak spots.
    Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • But this weaker god jumped in without hesitation and was gifted the ability to become Tonatiuh, the sun.
    Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Russell’s crash in 2023 showed that a minor mistake can wipe you off the podium.
    Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • In susceptible people, the immune system reacts too strongly to minor exposures, creating chronic inflammation.
    Daryl Austin, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Shane Hubbard, a UW-Madison research scientist specializing in damage and loss estimation from disasters, said that misunderstandings of what type of insurance offers the most protection result in homeowners being left with hefty bills and little government assistance.
    Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
  • The clues have been there from the start, the little touches that aligned Grasso’s bifurcated personality with Tom and Robbie’s.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • There's a low nominal cost, but the fact is there was a really significant cost because of the bureaucracy and time and uncertainty, with a lot of companies tied up with it.
    Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
  • But analysts believe that figure was nominal if anything.
    Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • By a rough count, Flagg played in approximately six different lineups, including some small-ball looks with Dwight Powell at center.
    Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2025
  • While there is acknowledgement that smaller teams, such as Norway’s Valarenga, could be on the receiving end of heavy defeats with the shift in format, the benefits of seeing top seeds clash early in the competition mean more overall interest.
    Megan Feringa, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The insults have been flying in the back-and-forth, and there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight for at least the short term.
    Michael Saponara, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Some others within the group interpreted Yahaya’s lyrics as an insult to the Prophet Muhammad.
    Sean Nelson, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Reporters in the Brady Room earlier this week were greeted by the meme on a loop; the vice president, addressing them on the shutdown, laughed at Democrats who were offended by the trope.
    David Weigel, semafor.com, 3 Oct. 2025
  • And faculty worry that teaching certain subject matter and texts might offend students and, if students complain, lead to administrative sanctions.
    Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Passengers who’d fallen ill on the Serenade of the Seas were isolated, disembarking separately upon arrival.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Shortly after Henry’s death, Augusta suffered two paralyzing strokes, intensifying her and Ed’s isolated, co-dependent relationship before her death in 1945.
    Andrew McGowan, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Slight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slight. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

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