lightweight

[lahyt-weyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lightweight ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

being lighter in weight, texture, etc., than another item or object of identical use, quality, or function: a lightweight topcoat; a lightweight alloy for ship construction.

without seriousness of purpose; trivial or trifling: lightweight reading.

of or relating to a lightweight: He's the new lightweight contender.

(of a horse, especially a hunter) able to carry up to 165 pounds (75 kg).

noun

a person of less than average weight.

Informal. a person who is of little influence, importance, or effect.

a boxer or other contestant intermediate in weight between a featherweight and a welterweight, especially a professional boxer weighing between 126 and 135 pounds (56.7–61 kg).

Origin of lightweight

First recorded in 1765–75; light² + weight

Related formsul·tra·light·weight, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for lightweight

petty, slight, failing, incompetent, trifling, featherweight, foolish, insignificant, paltry, trivial, unimportant, worthless, weightless

Examples from the Web for lightweight

Contemporary Examples of lightweight

Gates paints Reid as a lightweight more interested in Nevada issues than the defense of the nation.
Reid: Gates ‘Unethically’ Gossiped and Published Memoir to ‘Make Money’
John L. Smith
January 23, 2014
He might have been considered a lightweight, but even if he didn't ask the tough questions, everybody watched him.
The Deaths You Missed This Year
Malcolm Jones, Jimmy So, Michael Moynihan, Caitlin Dickson
December 30, 2013
Without Diesel, this sequel seems like a lightweight, but brought on the much welcomed team of Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris.
Best Paul Walker Performances: Ranking the ‘Fast and Furious’ Franchise
Jimmy So
December 2, 2013
Gabriel Gomez has a pair of white Nikes and lightweight running shorts.
Gomez or Go Home: The Massachusetts Senate Race Is Down to the Wire—and It Matters Big Time
David Freedlander
June 21, 2013
Dogs wearing tailored coats in solid colors were joined by others in lightweight capes.
FIT Hosts BARK-à-Porter: Art Deco-Themed Pet Fashion Show
Claire Stern
May 4, 2013

Historical Examples of lightweight

I should like him to be a lightweight, so as to be able to ride with me.
Won by the Sword
G.A. Henty
He entered in the lightweight class in the Harvard Gymnasium, March 22, 1879.
Theodore Roosevelt
Edmund Lester Pearson
At any rate our lightweight is one point in our favour, and another is our light-hands.
The Sportswoman's Library, v. 2
Various
He was a football player and a lightweight boxer of no mean ability.
The Rope of Gold
Roy J. Snell
Many in fact would have had no hesitation in classing him as a lightweight.
Baseball Joe on the Giants
Lester Chadwick

British Dictionary definitions for lightweight

lightweight

adjective

of a relatively light weight

not serious; trivial

noun

a person or animal of a relatively light weight

a professional boxer weighing 130–135 pounds (59–61 kg)
an amateur boxer weighing 57–60 kg (126–132 pounds)
(as modifier)the lightweight contender

a wrestler in a similar weight category (usually 115–126 pounds (52–57 kg))

informal a person of little importance or influence

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

Word Origin and History for lightweight

adj.

also light-weight, 1773 in horse-racing, also in pugilism; from light (adj.1) + weight. Figurative sense of "inconsequential" first attested 1809.