slight

1 of 3

adjective

ˈslīt 

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

slight

2 of 3

verb

slighted; slighting; slights

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

slight

3 of 3

noun

1

: an act or an instance of slighting

2

: an instance of being slighted : a humiliating discourtesy

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it slight or sleight of hand?

Slight is a homophone of sleight, and feels like it makes sense in this idiom, but sleight of hand is the correct form when referring to a cleverly executed trick. Sleight means "deceitful craftiness" or "stratagem," and slight means "having a slim or delicate build"; a slim person is sometimes described as being "slight of build."

What is the difference between sleight and slight?

Slight is the far more common word. In modern use it can be a verb meaning "to offend or insult someone" (as in "slighted by a rude colleague"), or a noun closely related to that verb ("the colleague's remark could only be seen as a slight"), or it can be an adjective describing people and things that are slim, frail, small, or trivial ("a slight figure," "a slight chance," "a slight movie"). Sleight is a noun that can refer either to a deceitful kind of craftiness, or to skill and dexterity. It is typically found in the phrase "sleight of hand," or variations on that phrase (as in "sleight of pen").

Is the correct phrase sleight chance or slight chance?

Slight chance: slight in this case means "small." If rain is possible but not very likely on a given day, there's a slight chance of rain. If you buy only one of 500 raffle tickets sold, you have a slight chance of winning.

Synonyms

Adjective

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

Verb

• affront
• dis [slang]
• diss
• disrespect
• insult
• offend
• outrage
• slap
• wound

Noun

• affront
• barb
• brickbat
• cut
• dart
• dig
• dis [slang]
• diss
• epithet
• gird
• indignity
• insult
• name
• offense
• offence
• outrage
• personality
• poke
• put-down
• sarcasm
• slap
• slur

Choose the Right Synonym for slight

Adjective

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

Verb

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

Examples of slight in a Sentence

Adjective

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.

Verb

I'm sure he didn't mean to slight you.

He was slighted by his colleagues.

Noun

refused to respond to their petty slights

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

As Metro ridership has gone up, so too has the number of assaults on its bus and train operators — 168 in 2023, a slight increase from the previous year. —Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024

With a slight bend in your knees, hinge at your hips, lowering your torso until your hands are at or below your knees. —Rozalynn S. Frazier, Health, 19 Apr. 2024

Pixi On-the-Glow Blush Tinted Moisture Stick Buy Now $18 $13 This genius moisturizing blush stick is formulated with ginseng, aloe vera, and other skin-friendly ingredients to not only give you a slight glow, but to keep your skin nourished all day long. —Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2024

There only seemed to be a slight difference between those who were using PAP therapy. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024

There may be slight deviations from the podcast audio. —Amanda Luberto, The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2024

The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra uses the new Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 chipset, which is a slight step down from the 8 Gen 3. —Allison Johnson, The Verge, 16 Apr. 2024

Parts of Arkansas facing a slight risk for severe weather Thursday include Little Rock, Conway, Jonesboro, Hot Springs and Mena. Other areas, including Northwest Arkansas and much of the southern portion of the state are at a marginal risk for severe weather. —Remington Miller, arkansasonline.com, 16 Apr. 2024

After decades of declining, TB cases have begun a slight uptick since 2021. —Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2024

Verb

Despite Detroit’s big rebound in property values leading Wayne County’s resurgence, and not slighting the gains in defense spending in Macomb County, Oakland County continues to be the state’s main economic driver and Michigan’s most prosperous big county by far. —Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 5 Apr. 2024

Nationalist shoppers have previously attacked foreign brands for allegedly slighting China. —Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 12 Mar. 2024

History can turn on one man feeling slighted by another. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024

Which is not to slight 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, the Iowa State coup who turned a No. 3 overall pick, Trey Lance, into Mr. Irrelevant. —Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2024

Phonte starts off the track recalling someone misspelling their names on a plaque, apparently reflecting that even as cult heroes, there are still people slighting them. —Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2023

The Sox are no better than the third-most interesting team in town behind the Patriots and Celtics, and that might be slighting the Bruins and Revolution. —Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Sep. 2023

Because a relatively small percentage of these people—some 388,000—disembarked in North America, general histories have tended to slight the African slave trade to the colonies that became the United States. —James Oakes, The New York Review of Books, 31 Aug. 2023

Hill’s primary issue is attracting America’s best players to non-Olympic events, such as the World Cup, and also negotiating with talents such as Trae Young, Zion Williamson, and Ja Morant, who have felt slighted in the past. —Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Sep. 2023

Noun

If David is the brain of Curb, however, Lewis was the raw, bleeding heart, the perpetually aggrieved best friend who takes offense at even the most minor slights and breaches, who can’t help but constantly be taken aback by his friend’s emotional limitations. —Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024

Those slights aside, there’s still reason to look at this year’s nominees and see artists who stand to have standout (and in some cases, history-making) moments at this year’s show. —Dan Heching, CNN, 28 Jan. 2024

This week in Milwaukee-area high school boys basketball featured a couple career milestones, a slight that became a national story and more clarity in the conference standings. —Zac Bellman, Journal Sentinel, 28 Jan. 2024

Like Kobe, Kanye takes every slight against him and pushes forward because of it. —Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2024

Maestro isn't the only project to come under fire from McCain in recent weeks, as the late senator John McCain's daughter spoke out against The View panelist Ana Navarro following what McCain perceived to be an on-air slight against her, despite Navarro not naming her. —Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 27 Dec. 2023

Feeling Undervalued By a significant margin, the number one root cause identified was women feeling deeply undervalued in their STEM roles, either through overt slights or subtle patterns of disregard. —Serenity Gibbons, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024

Johnson takes their sentiment both as an honor and a slight. —Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024

The lack of recognition for The Color Purple, including in the best picture category, also seems like somewhat of a slight to producer Oprah Winfrey, who has been prominently supporting the film. —Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

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 entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1701, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

slight

1 of 3 adjective

ˈslīt 

1

a

: having a slim or delicate build : not stout

b

: lacking in strength or substance : flimsy, frail

c

: lacking weight, solidity, or importance : trivial

2

: small of its kind or in amount

slightly adverb

slightness noun

slight

2 of 3 verb

1

: to treat with disrespect

2

: to perform or attend to carelessly and without proper attention to detail

slight

3 of 3 noun

1

: an act or an instance of slighting

2

: a humiliating discourtesy