1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

slighter

adjective

as in littler

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for slighter
  1. insufficient
  2. inadequate
  3. lesser
  4. deficient
Adjective
  • Two days later, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department released him from custody, citing insufficient evidence to charge him.
    — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The grand jury found insufficient evidence to charge anyone criminally, and the two have denied any wrongdoing.
    — Zoe Millán, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of insufficient
Adjective
  • If your attic has thin, uneven, or inadequate insulation, more of that heat can make its way into your living space.
    — Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Indiana prison contractor was ordered to pay $760,000 over inadequate care.
    — Joe Mutascio, IndyStar, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of inadequate
Adjective
  • Even lesser-scale incidents like the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal and the Volkswagen emissions scandal erode trust in the institutions that help make our society possible and push it forward.
    — Lindsey Witmer Collins, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Toronto’s Fred VanVleet appears to be the top target, but Miami’s Kyle Lowry, Utah’s Mike Conley and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Charlotte’s Terry Rozier have been linked to the team at various points.
    — Staff Writer Follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2023
Definition of lesser
Adjective
  • Yet researchers have found that nearly a third of adults in the United States are iron deficient.
    — Anahad O’Connor, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In a deficient area, the exception is exposed, and to last, the exception must be exceptional somewhere else.
    — Zach Berman, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of deficient
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

slighted
slighter
slightest
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slighter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slighter. Accessed 20 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 volition

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
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
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All