little faith
37
6.4
- noun
:
poca confianza
- Like his fellow veterans in Hanoi, he has little faith in the government's promises of a glorious future for the reunited Vietnam.
He rebukes them and says, O ye of little faith, how long must I tarry with thee?
- He rebukes them and says, O ye of little faith, how long must I tarry with thee?
- But I, I have very little faith in the people making decisions about the issue, that they know what they're doing and that they're exercising judgment and wisdom.
- It's just it restores little faith in humanity.
- So I'm like just I don't have I have such little faith in my own constitution because of it.
- I mean, I, in my, in my soul of souls, I had so little faith that love and that, you know, familial connection and that those things were real.
Examples
-
As a result, Mexicans place little faith in their law enforcement and judicial systems.
Academic text (2009) -
My priority is to restore a little faith in the community.
Blog text (18) -
I wanted what little faith I had to grow on my terms.
-
I had extremely little faith, but like you can see it very well.
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You have to have a little faith in people.
-
Have a little faith in your brother.
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So, stop being so negative and have a little faith.
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I thank God that I, at least, have little faith, rather than no faith.
Blog text (26) -
Like many Latin American immigrants, the man has little faith in U.S. immigration authorities.
Academic text (1999) -
It's important to have a little faith in yourself when facing challenges.
Synonyms
∞
1.6
A feeling of not being sure about something
124
5.1
A feeling of doubt about an idea or claim when there is not enough proof
58
3.5
A feeling that someone or something cannot be relied on
34
4.0
A feeling of not trusting someone or something
27
5.9
A feeling of doubt or worry about whether something will turn out well
A feeling of not trusting other people
A feeling of doubt or low confidence
A feeling of not being sure or confident about something
A feeling of not being sure about something
A feeling that someone or something cannot be trusted
Antonyms
How Certain
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a lack of confidence or trust' is directly derivable from combining 'little' (a small amount) with 'faith' (confidence or trust); the adjective simply indicates a low degree of the noun. This is a regular compositional quantity + noun pattern common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Little faith may come from the Bible, where people were told they had only a small amount of belief when they doubted. The image of a very small little faith, meaning just a 'little' belief, explains why it now means 'a lack of confidence'.