featherweight

[ feth-er-weyt ]
See synonyms for: featherweightfeatherweights on Thesaurus.com

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.

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

  2. extremely light in weight: a featherweight quilt.

  1. unimportant;trifling; slight.

Origin of featherweight

1
First recorded in 1805–15; feather + weight

Words Nearby featherweight

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use featherweight in a sentence

  • These featherweight savory gruyere-laced pastries are ubiquitous in Burgundy.

    A Burgundy Wine Feast | Sophie Menin | July 4, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Kitamura, a featherweight at most, might seem a awkward messenger for the material.

    How to Fight Like a Girl | Will Doig | August 19, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • "I had no idea Americans were so romantic," said Lady Sellingworth, with just a touch of featherweight malice.

    December Love | Robert Hichens
  • She seemed only a featherweight when the bewildered doctor helped her to alight—an undoubted sprite and creature of romance.

    The Doctor's Family | Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant
  • I am not as strong as I once was so I bought a featherweight one.

  • Fancy that little featherweight saying, "O khansamah jee" to my bloodthirsty Mir Khan!

    The Story of the Gadsby | Rudyard Kipling
  • He held out his arm, but grew tired long before they reached his trap: Dane was no featherweight, and he leaned upon him heavily.

    The League of the Leopard | Harold Bindloss

British Dictionary definitions for featherweight

featherweight

/ (ˈfɛðəˌweɪt) /


noun
    • something very light or of little importance

    • (as modifier): featherweight considerations

    • a professional boxer weighing 118–126 pounds (53.5–57 kg)

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

    • (as modifier): the featherweight challenger

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012