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little

little

∞ 1.0
Not very important
  • adjective
  • /ˈlɪtəl/
: poco
  • Is it time you grew up and learned a little compassion as well as admiration?
  • little impact
  • little change
  • little effect

And you know, that's a bad little cyclone for me.

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Examples

  • And that's where religion can be a little toxic.

  • Today, most people feel that they have little to say about what governments do.

    Academic text (2017)
  • And early on I had a little success with that.

  • I have no face and little will of my own.

  • And I felt a little bad inside that,

  • Why does losing a little hurt more than winning a lot?

  • To date, however, they have attracted relatively little attention in the academic literature.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Yet the scope of their efforts has often received little attention outside the tribal community.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The lighting was bright, and the audience was a little hesitant to cheer during performances.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Many people dismissed his concerns as little and not worthy of discussion.

Synonyms

small
vslittle
∞ 1.0

Not large in size or amount

focuses specifically on low importance and colloquial tone rather than size
slight
vslittle
513 1.2

Small in amount or degree

focuses on casual lack of importance rather than precise degree or measurement
minor
vslittle
497 2.4

Not very important or serious

emphasizes casual insignificance rather than formal ranking or degree
mere
vslittle
371 3.4

Showing that something is only small and not important

is a casual adjective expressing unimportance rather than serving as an emphasizing modifier
petty
vslittle
226 3.7

Small and unimportant in position or power

is a casual way to say unimportant rather than showing mean or spiteful attitude
minimal
vslittle
196 3.3

Very small in amount or degree

highlights quantity only whereas the key stresses low importance and informality
trivial
vslittle
110 3.9

Not important or serious

is the informal word focusing on lack of importance rather than formality
lil
vslittle
  • Slang
47 9.8

An informal word that shows something is small

is the informal full form rather than a slang short version
small-time
vslittle
47 5.9

Not important and not well known, often used for people or small businesses

is a casual way to say unimportant in general not just low status or scale
negligible
vslittle
31 5.6

Very small or unimportant and not worth worrying about

is a more casual expression that implies lack of importance without formal certainty
precious little
vslittle
  • Informal
29 4.5

Only a very small amount remains

is used more for casual lack of importance than to stress extreme scarcity
piddling
vslittle
  • Informal
4 8.0

Very small and not important

is the casual word focusing on not important rather than stressing extreme smallness
niggling
vslittle
  • UK
3 7.8

A small annoying problem or worry that does not need serious attention

is broader casual unimportance rather than specific annoying minor problems
picayune
vslittle
  • US
1 9.9

Small and not important

is the casual term for unimportance rather than suggesting small mindedness
fiddling
vslittle
  • Informal
1 7.0

Small in amount and not important

is the general casual term rather than pointing to an unimportant detail
piffling
vslittle
1 8.6

Too small or not important to matter

is similar but used more broadly as a casual general descriptor rather than dismissive label
footling
vslittle
  • Archaic
1 9.1

Unimportant and not worth attention

is the general informal word focusing on lack of importance rather than worthlessness
menudo
vslittle
  • Literature
1 9.8

Small in size or not very important

is a casual label for unimportance rather than a mildly dismissive comment
lilliputian
vslittle
1 9.9

Very small or unimportant

focuses on low importance in ordinary speech rather than extreme physical smallness

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

A person or thing that matters a lot

∞ 2.0

Important and needing careful thought because it can have large effects

Idioms

∞ 1.0

A small amount, not very much

little by little
  • Informal
36 2.3

Gradually in small amounts over time

All small details of a person's life or a situation

precious little
  • Informal
29 4.5

Only a very small amount remains

16 1.3

In any way, even the smallest amount

quite a little
  • Informal
13 6.6

A fairly large amount of something

little old me
  • Informal
8 9.3

A modest, joking way to talk about yourself when you get praise or attention

5 9.9

A phrase to tell someone they do not believe enough

a little bird
  • Informal
3 8.5

Someone told the speaker something without saying who

2 8.1

You say this when you hear something but do not say who told you

Small things you do or give are important because they add up

1 9.9

A playful phrase that says another person or pet is welcome too

to little avail
  • Archaic
1 7.4

With little success and no real result

1 6.2

A very active person who works hard and gets many things done

Almost no chance of being wrong

1 7.4

Helps in a small, quiet, personal way

A peaceful small-town feeling with friendly neighbors like in old TV shows

A small, disappointing thing that does not help enough

Small regular efforts lead to big results over time

To make decisions using feelings instead of careful thought

To make someone do what you want by charming them

Compounds

∞ 1.0

A small amount of something

∞ 1.0

A young girl who is not yet a teenager

293 1.0

A brother who is younger than you

194 1.0

A sister who is younger than you

little lady
  • Informal
124 4.4

A woman or girl spoken to in a warm, slightly old-fashioned way

76 2.8

An organized baseball and softball league for children with teams, games, and coaching

49 7.3

Few people know about it

little angel
  • Baby Talk
47 2.7

A child who behaves well and is much loved

little old lady
  • Informal
33 4.2

An older woman who seems gentle and harmless

17 6.4

A feeling of not trusting people or plans much

17 1.0

The smallest finger on the hand that is farthest from the thumb

14 3.2

A person or thing that makes a task easier

14 8.2

A small green creature said to come from another planet

13 2.3

A girl in a famous fairy tale who meets a wolf while visiting her grandmother

Chicken Little
  • Literature
9 8.1

A person who panics about small problems and warns others without reason

little old man
  • Informal
9 2.1

An old small man who many people like

A very short adult often because of a medical condition called dwarfism

A simple black dress to wear to many events like a party or dinner

A group of children who play organized baseball in a local league

7 1.0

Smallest toe at the outer edge of the human foot

7 7.7

An informal name for a bathroom for men or boys

5 2.9

A small human hand that often belongs to a child

This Little Piggy
  • Baby Talk
4 8.4

A traditional English children's rhyme that counts toes while a parent wiggles them

4 4.8

A small theater where students or community groups perform new plays

3 3.0

A child between eight and twelve who plays on an organized youth baseball team

A group of seven stars that look like a small spoon in the northern sky with Polaris at its handle

A young woman who seems unhappy or lonely even though she has a lot of money

2 5.1

A small bird that hunts mice with a round head and yellow eyes

1 9.7

A boy who is too polite and too neatly dressed

A small thing that helps a parent get through the day, like a drink, medicine, or tool

A young man who has a lot of money but feels lonely or unhappy

1 8.2

A small child who makes trouble in a playful way

1 8.0

Very little help when you try to do something

A river in Wyoming and Montana that flows by the 1876 battle site

little moppet
  • Baby Talk
1 8.4

A small, cute child often a baby or toddler

A 1876 battle in Montana where United States soldiers led by Custer lose to Sioux and Cheyenne warriors

little terror
  • Informal
1 7.2

A child who behaves badly and causes a lot of trouble

little man
  • Informal
1 6.5

A person who feels small and powerless against those in power

1 7.2

A slow time someone takes on purpose that annoys other people

little green man
  • Literature
1 9.6

A soldier in green with no badge sent so a country can deny sending them

little emperor
  • Offensive
1 8.5

A child who is spoiled because parents give them everything they want

1 8.1

A river that flows from northern Wyoming into the Bighorn River in southern Montana known for Custer's Last Stand

A river in the western United States famous for the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn

1 8.4

A small wild grass like barley that grows in fields and along roads

little owie
  • Baby Talk
1 7.5

A small hurt a child gets, like a scratch or bump

little potato
  • Specialized
1 9.8

A plant disease that makes potatoes small and misshapen

little Eichmann
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who follows orders without thinking, often in a large organization

An 1876 battle in Montana where General Custer's soldiers were defeated by Sioux and Cheyenne

A river in the north-central United States that starts in northeast Wyoming and joins the Missouri River in North Dakota

1 2.2

The short pointer on a clock that shows the hour

1 6.0

A small brown flying animal common in North America that sleeps in houses and forests

1 8.6

Small brown water bird with a short neck that swims and dives on ponds

1 7.4

A small white bird with a thin black bill that lives by rivers and catches fish

A small blue-grey bird that lives near water and eats fish

Little Rhody
  • Informal
1 7.0

A common nickname for the small U.S. state Rhode Island

1 6.0

A small group of stars in the northern sky that includes the North Star

Little Englander
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who has narrow views about other countries and England's place in the world

A small common North American bat that lives across the continent

little golden zinnia
  • Specialized
1 9.6

A small low plant with short leafy stems and small round yellow orange flowers

A way of acting that uses little effort

A habit of not trying hard and avoiding work

A small sea bird with a short beak that lives in the Arctic

A small animal like a rabbit that lives in rocky mountain areas in North America

A small plant that looks like moss and grows on the ground

A small plant like a tiny fir tree that grows on the forest floor

A very small shiny black insect that lives in groups and often comes into houses for food

A small group of stars in the northern sky east of Orion that contains the bright star Procyon

9.9

A small boy people call in a friendly, playful way

A small fern that grows in shaded tropical forests in the Americas

little head
  • Offensive
9.9

A man's sexual feelings or other emotions that make him act without thinking

Little Joe
  • Slang
9.9

A slang name for the number four in dice games like craps

little pekkie
  • Informal
9.9

A person someone loves and finds cute

Little Office
  • Specialized
9.9

A short set of prayers to the Virgin Mary said by Catholics

How Important

significant
∞ 2.5
important
∞ 1.0
little
∞ 1.0
trivial
110 3.9
negligible
31 5.6

Surface Forms

little positive
littler comparative
littlest superlative

Etymology

Little comes from the old English word lytel, which means 'small'. From that idea of 'small' it also came to mean 'not important' or 'not serious', so we call small problems 'little' problems.