little
- adjective
- /ˈlɪtəl/
- I think that I deserve a little Christmas treat.
- very little
- a little bit
- too little
This guy, just a little bit of art fear.
- This guy, just a little bit of art fear.
- I want to expand a little bit in many ways.
- There was a little shelter, little water and little food.
- And then just a little dressing on the side.
- So let me read a little bit to you here.
Examples
-
Some of these steps involve little or no cost but have received little or no attention.
Academic text (2015) -
Time is a little difficult to find these days.
-
So let me say a little bit about why.
-
And if you could add a little note to each one.
-
Actually, you do seem a little bit out of it...
-
In addition, the song's bridge suggests how little has changed over three hundred years.
Academic text (2013) -
Nuclear energy currently produces a little more than 20 percent of the nation's electricity.
Academic text (2011) -
Minnie, what I usually find is that a little bit of practice really helps.
Academic text (2012) -
The results showed that Canadians knew very little about the work the church does to help others.
Academic text (2015) -
He only had a little time to finish his homework before dinner.
Synonyms
To a small degree or amount
A little, not very much
To a small degree
Almost not at all or only just
Only a very small amount remains
A very small amount that is almost not noticeable
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
A modest, joking way to talk about yourself when you get praise or attention
A peaceful small-town feeling with friendly neighbors like in old TV shows
- Informal
A small, disappointing thing that does not help enough
- Informal
A playful phrase that says another person or pet is welcome too
- Informal
To make decisions using feelings instead of careful thought
Compounds
An organized baseball and softball league for children with teams, games, and coaching
- Offensive
A man's sexual feelings or other emotions that make him act without thinking
A small group of stars in the northern sky east of Orion that contains the bright star Procyon
A group of seven stars that look like a small spoon in the northern sky with Polaris at its handle
- Literature
A girl in a famous fairy tale who meets a wolf while visiting her grandmother
- Offensive
A child who is spoiled because parents give them everything they want
A child between eight and twelve who plays on an organized youth baseball team
A 1876 battle in Montana where United States soldiers led by Custer lose to Sioux and Cheyenne warriors
- Literature
A soldier in green with no badge sent so a country can deny sending them
A young woman who seems unhappy or lonely even though she has a lot of money
An 1876 battle in Montana where General Custer's soldiers were defeated by Sioux and Cheyenne
- Literature
A person who panics about small problems and warns others without reason
A small brown flying animal common in North America that sleeps in houses and forests
A small animal like a rabbit that lives in rocky mountain areas in North America
A river in the western United States famous for the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn
A very small shiny black insect that lives in groups and often comes into houses for food
A river that flows from northern Wyoming into the Bighorn River in southern Montana known for Custer's Last Stand
- Offensive
A person who follows orders without thinking, often in a large organization
- Offensive
A person who has narrow views about other countries and England's place in the world
- Specialized
A small low plant with short leafy stems and small round yellow orange flowers
A river in the north-central United States that starts in northeast Wyoming and joins the Missouri River in North Dakota
- Specialized
A letter used in old Slavic writing to show a vowel pronounced through the nose
How Much
Surface Forms
Etymology
Little comes from the old English word lytel, which means 'small'. As an adverb it keeps that meaning: it describes something done 'to a small degree' or 'almost none'.