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little

little

10 1.0
People call young children that in a caring way
  • noun
  • /ˈlɪtəl/
  • Informal
: peque
  • Could you please watch little Sally for a couple of hours?

Examples

  • Kate Wicker is a wife, mom of four littles, speaker, and the author of Weightless: Making Peace with Your Body.

    Blog text (14)
  • I love that I have this little Clarins blush.

  • Could you please watch little Sally for a couple hours?

  • So I'm with this little guy in his cool hat.

  • And then over here we have this little banquet.

  • I mean, she's a really cute little sweet looking thing.

  • While we usually eagerly put our littles to bed early, he's still up tonight.

    Blog text (24)
  • I thought all three of the littles were asleep when I heard Eliza perk up and say ...

    Blog text (17)
  • I do want to spend time playing with the littles too.

  • While we usually eagerly put our littles to bed early, he's still up tonight.

Synonyms

shorty
vslittle
  • Slang
83 9.0

An affectionate slang word often used for a girlfriend or close friend

is less slangy and applies also to small things and neutral contexts
titch
vslittle
  • UK
1 9.9

A very small person, often a child

describes smallness in a general affectionate way rather than extreme tininess
Lilliputian
vslittle
  • Literature
1 9.9

A very small person or creature like one in a story

is informal and affectionate rather than literary or formal
kidlet
vslittle
  • Informal
1 8.2

A small child or young goat that people talk about in a loving, informal way

is used mainly for human children and small objects rather than animals
little moppet
vslittle
  • Baby Talk
1 8.4

A small, cute child often a baby or toddler

is used for small children or things more generally, not only cute ones
littlun
vslittle
  • UK
1 9.3

A small child, said in a friendly way

is broader, applying also to small things and objects not only children
small fry
vslittle
  • Informal
1 7.4

Young children who are not yet adults

is more affectionate and can mean both small people and small things
leetle
vslittle
  • Informal
9.9

A small child or person treated with love and care

is used for small things as well as people rather than people only

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

A person who is fully grown and no longer a child

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 Young

baby
∞ 1.0
toddler
156 1.0
little
  • Informal
10 1.0
kid
  • Informal
∞ 1.0
child
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

little singular
littles plural

Etymology

Little comes from the old English word lytel, which means 'small'. Calling children 'the littles' uses the old meaning 'small' in a friendly, informal way to mean young or small people.