little

little [lit-l] SynonymsExamplesWord Origin adjective, lit·tler or less or less·er, lit·tlest or least.

1. small in size; not big; not large; tiny: a little desk in the corner of the room.
2. short in duration; not extensive; short; brief: a little while.
3. small in number: a little group of scientists.
4. small in amount or degree; not much: little hope.
5. of a certain amount; appreciable (usually preceded by a): We’re having a little difficulty.
6. being such on a small scale: little farmers.
7. younger or youngest: He’s my little brother.
8. not strong, forceful, or loud; weak: a little voice.
9. small in consideration, importance, position, affluence, etc.: little discomforts; tax reductions to help the little fellow.
10. mean, narrow, or illiberal: a little mind.
11. endearingly small or considered as such: Bless your little heart!
12. amusingly small or so considered: a funny little way of laughing.
13. contemptibly small, petty, mean, etc., or so considered: filthy little political tricks.

adverb, less, least.

14. not at all (used before a verb): He little knows what awaits him.
15. in only a small amount or degree; not much; slightly: a little-known work of art; little better than a previous effort.
16. seldom; rarely; infrequently: We see each other very little.

noun

17. a small amount, quantity, or degree: They did little to make him comfortable. If you want some ice cream, there’s a little in the refrigerator.
18. a short distance: It’s down the road a little.
19. a short time: Stay here for a little.

Idioms

20. in little, on a small scale; in miniature: a replica in little of Independence Hall.
21. little by little, by small degrees; gradually: The water level rose little by little.
22. make little of,
    1. belittle: to make little of one’s troubles.
    2. to understand or interpret only slightly: Scholars made little of the newly discovered text.
23. not a little, to a great extent; very much; considerably: It tired me not a little to stand for three hours.
24. think little of, to treat casually; regard as trivial: They think little of driving 50 miles to see a movie.

Origin of little before 900; Middle English, Old English lȳtel (lȳt few, small + -el diminutive suffix), cognate with Dutch luttel, Old High German luzzil, Old Norse lītill Related formslit·tlish [lit-l-ish, lit-lish] /ˈlɪt l ɪʃ, ˈlɪt lɪʃ/, adjectivelit·tle·ness, nounSynonyms for little 1–4. tiny, teeny, wee. Little, diminutive, minute, small refer to that which is not large or significant. Little (the opposite of big ) is very general, covering size, extent, number, quantity, amount, duration, or degree: a little boy; a little time. Small (the opposite of large and of great ) can many times be used interchangeably with little, but is especially applied to what is limited or below the average in size: small oranges. Diminutive denotes (usually physical) size that is much less than the average or ordinary; it may suggest delicacy: the baby’s diminutive fingers; diminutive in size but autocratic in manner. Minute suggests that which is so tiny it is difficult to discern, or that which implies attentiveness to the smallest details: a minute quantity; a minute exam. Examples from the Web for littleness Historical Examples of littleness

Things are little by partaking of littleness, great by partaking of greatness, and the like.

Parmenides

Plato

To be “run ashore” has the littleness, poignancy, and bitterness of human error.

The Mirror of the Sea

Joseph Conrad

With this affectation of superiority, the Duke combined the littleness of envy.

Memoirs of the Jacobites of 1715 and 1745

Mrs. Thomson

For, as natural philosophers, there is no bigness or littleness to you.

Lectures on Landscape

John Ruskin

It’s one of the peculiarities of the littleness of human nature.

Watch Yourself Go By

Al. G. Field

British Dictionary definitions for littleness little determiner

1. (often preceded by a)
   1. a small quantity, extent, or duration ofthe little hope there is left; very little milk
   2. (as pronoun)save a little for me
2. not muchlittle damage was done
3. make little of See make of (def. 3)
4. not a little
   1. very
   2. a lot
5. quite a little a considerable amount
6. think little of to have a low opinion of

adjective

7. of small or less than average size
8. younga little boy; our little ones
9. endearingly familiar; dearmy husband’s little ways
10. contemptible, mean, or disagreeableyour filthy little mind
11. (of a region or district) resembling another country or town in miniaturelittle Venice
12. little game a person’s secret intention or businessso that’s his little game!
13. no little considerable

adverb

14. (usually preceded by a) in a small amount; to a small extent or degree; not a lotto laugh a little
15. (used preceding a verb) not at all, or hardlyhe little realized his fate
16. not much or oftenwe go there very little now
17. little by little by small degrees

See also less, lesser, least, littler, littlest Word Origin for little Old English lӯtel; related to lӯr few, Old High German luzzil Word Origin and History for littleness n.

Old English lytelnes; see little + -ness.

little adj.

Old English lytel “not large, not much; short in distance or time; unimportant,” also used in late Old English as a noun, “small piece; a short time,” from West Germanic *lutilla- (cf. Old Saxon luttil, Dutch luttel, Old High German luzzil, German lützel, Gothic leitils “little”), perhaps originally a diminutive of the root of Old English lyt “little, few,” from PIE *leud- “small.” “Often synonymous with small, but capable of emotional implications which small is not” [OED].

Phrase the little woman “wife” attested from 1795. Little people “the faeries” is from 1726; as “children,” it is attested from 1752; as “ordinary people” (opposed to the great), it is attested from 1827. Little Neck clams (1884) are so called for Little Neck, Long Island, a “neck” of land on the island’s North Shore. Little by little is from late 15c. (litylle be litille). Little green men “space aliens” is from 1950. Little black dress is from 1939.

At the beginning of summer, smart women who stay in town like to wear sheer “little black dresses.” Because most “little black dresses” look alike, retailers struggle each year to find something which will make them seem new. [“Life,” June 13, 1939]

Little Orphan Annie originally was (as Little Orphant Annie) the character in James Whitcomb Riley’s 1885 poem, originally titled “Elf Child.” The U.S. newspaper comic strip created by Harold Gray (1894-1968) debuted in 1924 in the New York “Daily News.”

LITTLE Orphant Annie’s come to our house to stay,
An’ wash the cups an’ saucers up, an’ brush the crumbs away,
An’ shoo the chickens off the porch, an’ dust the hearth, an’ sweep,
An’ make the fire, an’ bake the bread, an’ earn her board-an’-keep;
An’ all us other childern, when the supper-things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an’ has the mostest fun
A-list’nin’ to the witch-tales ‘at Annie tells about,
An’ the Gobble-uns ‘at gits you
Ef you
Don’t
Watch
Out!

[Riley, “Elf Child”] little v.

OE lytlian, from root of little (adj.).

Idioms and Phrases with littleness little

In addition to the idioms beginning with little

little bird told one, a

little by little

little frog in a big pond

little knowledge is a dangerous thing, a

little pitchers have big ears

also see:

a little

every little bit helps

in one’s own (little) world

make little of

precious few (little)

think little of

to little purpose

too little, too late