small fortune
17
3.3
- noun
:
pequeña fortuna
- Selling that old car could earn you a small fortune.
Examples
-
The Wayne Foundation contributes a small fortune to police and crime prevention programs.
Fiction book (1995) -
Mukhlis has made a small fortune in real estate.
Fiction book (1990) -
Must be worth a small fortune.
-
You made a small fortune already.
-
You cost us a small fortune, so it's nice to see some return on the investment.
-
Over the years, he had managed to put together a collection that was worth a small fortune.
Fiction book (1995) -
Well, let's just say I fell into a small fortune.
-
Could be anything from a few pounds to a small fortune.
Fiction book (1990) -
The amount he will be saving per year is a small fortune.
Blog text (22) -
If that's ever found, it would be worth a small fortune.
Synonyms
453
2.8
A very large amount of money
84
2.0
A large amount of money, especially as earnings or profit
61
4.2
A lot of money that someone earns or gets
11
7.0
A large amount of money that is higher than expected
3
3.7
A fairly large amount of money that is nice to get
Antonyms
How Much
Surface Forms
Morphology
While 'fortune' clearly signals money, the adjective 'small' is ironic or minimizing here so the phrase actually means a considerable sum. A B1 learner who knows both words might guess the phrase relates to money but would be unlikely to predict the conventionalized 'large amount' sense without prior exposure.
Etymology
Small fortune may come from a joking image: something costs so much it is almost a fortune, only a small one. That's why it now means 'a large amount of money'.