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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
She was eventually diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a rare neurological condition that causes excruciating sensitivity to even slight touch. Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 9 Nov. 2025 New data science tools are rapidly improving the speed and accuracy of detecting slight changes. Matthew W. Kreuter, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
King’s calm way of dealing with racist slights grated on Tony Coleman, a Black drummer 30 years his junior who joined his band in 1978. Todd Longwell, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025 Leonora measures out her days in courtesies and slights, the former dominating the beginning of the book, the latter rapidly gaining ground. Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
The head coach has seen firsthand what his former quarterback can do when he's slighted. Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025 Jones, again, slighted the punt coverage with a 61-yard return to the Carolina 14-yard line. Mike Kaye september 28, Charlotte Observer, 28 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for slight
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slight
Adjective
  • Western countries could exploit weak points in supply chains for many of Russia's advanced fighter jets, including by tightening up sanctions as Ukraine strikes Russia's industrial facilities, according to a new report.
    Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Respiratory difficulty, constipation, poor feeding, drooping eyelids and a weak and altered cry are among the symptoms of infant botulism.
    Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The only way that such a minor joke would set a fiancée off is if her engagement was already in a delicate place, and that is none of the housewives’ jobs to fix.
    Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
  • The concept alone made headlines across the political aisle when the show was first announced, but the its digital marketing across Instagram and TikTok has turned it into a minor sensation.
    David Zucker, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Dick is sympathetic to Leroy’s perspective, noting that being Black in the military means having your personal life scrutinized, which is little comfort for Charlotte.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Sketches such as last night’s Oval Office monologue compact the coal of the administration’s info dumps into little diamonds of comedy, freeing the writers and cast to pursue more escapist fare.
    Erik Adams, The Atlantic, 9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • In addition to the music, train rides will be offered around the park for a nominal fee courtesy of the Poway-Midland Railroad.
    Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Kim Yong Nam was not related to Kim Jong Un, but his loyalty to the ruling family enabled him to serve as president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly—the country's nominal head of state—from 1998 until April 2019.
    Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • At a time when the Mavericks need as much good will, or PR, as possible, filing a lawsuit against the Dallas Stars is petty, small and mean.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Nov. 2025
  • The Senate vote to temporarily reopen the government sparked intense controversy within the Democratic Party, as a small group of its senators joined Republicans in backing a deal that did not guarantee the extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, a key Democratic priority.
    Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Weston said stripping Andrew of the medal would be an insult to those who have served in the British armed forces.
    Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
  • In popular discourse, the word has taken on a life of its own, as an insult deployed without clear reference to any theory of psychology.
    David Merritt Johns, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • No, absolutely not, what does offend me, though, is having the poppy try be forced upon me.
    Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 8 Nov. 2025
  • When no one in the Fortune 500 wants to risk offending Trump, leave it to Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog to take care of business.
    Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Difficult Amazon logistics is no excuse Another challenge to vaccinating indigenous groups is the complicated logistics of getting shots to their territories, which are often isolated and hard to reach.
    Adriana Brasileiro, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
  • And that’s what people want at the end of the day, is someone to resonate with and not feel so alone and isolated in this world.
    McKinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Slight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slight. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.

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