featherweight

American  

[feth-er-weyt] / ˈfɛð ərˌweɪt /

noun

1. a boxer or other contestant intermediate in weight between a bantamweight and a lightweight, especially a professional boxer weighing up to 126 pounds (57 kilograms).

2. an insignificant person or thing.

   He thinks he's a major composer, but he's just a featherweight.

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adjective

1. belonging to the class of featherweights, especially in boxing.

2. extremely light in weight.

   a featherweight quilt.

3. unimportant; trifling; slight.

featherweight British  

/ ˈfɛðəˌweɪt /

noun

1. 1. something very light or of little importance

   2. ( as modifier )

      featherweight considerations

2. 1. a professional boxer weighing 118–126 pounds (53.5–57 kg)

   2. an amateur boxer weighing 54–57 kg (119–126 pounds)

   3. ( as modifier )

      the featherweight challenger

3. a wrestler in a similar weight category (usually 126–139 pounds (57–63 kg))

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Etymology

Origin of featherweight

First recorded in 1805–15; feather + weight

Example Sentences

Moving up to featherweight is an option, but the division lacks household names and a jump to super-featherweight is likely a step too far.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

Much of the buzz has centered on the featherweight, carbon-fiber plated Adidas running shoes both Sawe and Kejelcha wore.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

Britain's Murphy, who is third in the UFC's featherweight rankings, takes on the first-ranked Russian in the main event at the O2 Arena.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

A former featherweight champion, he earned the lightweight belt last year by knocking out Brazil's Charles Oliveira before temporarily stepping away from the sport for personal reasons.

From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026

What Cavendish was trying to do was measure gravity at this extremely featherweight level.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• agile
• airy
• buoyant
• delicate
• fluffy
• lightweight
• loose
• slender
• slight
• small
• thin