lightweight

[ lahyt-weyt ]

adjective

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

   a lightweight topcoat;

   a lightweight alloy for ship construction.

3. without seriousness of purpose; trivial or trifling:

   lightweight reading.

4. of or relating to a lightweight:

   He's the new lightweight contender.

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

noun

1. a person of less than average weight.
2. Informal. a person who is of little influence, importance, or effect.
3. 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 kilograms).

lightweight

/ ˈlaɪtˌweɪt /

adjective

1. of a relatively light weight
2. not serious; trivial

noun

1. a person or animal of a relatively light weight
2. 1. a professional boxer weighing 130–135 pounds (59–61 kg)
   2. an amateur boxer weighing 57–60 kg (126–132 pounds)
   3. ( as modifier )

      the lightweight contender

3. a wrestler in a similar weight category (usually 115–126 pounds (52–57 kg))
4. informal.
   a person of little importance or influence

Other Words From

• ultra·lightweight adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lightweight¹

First recorded in 1765–75; light ² + weight

Example Sentences

I’ve mostly stuck to pedal kayaks because they are lightweight, and more reliable because they are powered by me—not electronics.

From Popular-Science

It is lightweight, low-profile, 100% waterproof, and has a 5-day battery life.

From Outside Online

You also wanted your pen to be lightweight and easy to move between rooms.

From FiveThirtyEight

It’s lightweight at just 22 pounds and the side handles make it easy to carry.

From Popular-Science

The medical kit that astronauts use to patch each other up will have to be lightweight and compact.

From Science News

With Gear 2, Gear Neo, and Gear Fit, Samsung is pushing lightweight hardware with long-lasting battery life.

From The Daily Beast

Gates paints Reid as a lightweight more interested in Nevada issues than the defense of the nation.

From The Daily Beast

He might have been considered a lightweight, but even if he didn't ask the tough questions, everybody watched him.

From The Daily Beast

When the Undetectable Firearms Act passed in 1988, gun manufacturers had begun using lightweight polymer in handguns.

From The Daily Beast

Without Diesel, this sequel seems like a lightweight, but brought on the much welcomed team of Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris.

From The Daily Beast

You do have a recollection that those rods were a very lightweight metal?

From Project Gutenberg

Light as a lightweight acrobat Ahmet Ali had rolled aside, put palm to ground, sprung to his feet.

From Project Gutenberg

For his one chance was in his youth and the method he had learned from the lightweight champion of the world.

From Project Gutenberg

In lightweight circles, at any rate, old-fashioned proprieties are still effective.

From Project Gutenberg

I never saw anything prettier than the way Bert flung him back as though he had been a lightweight.

From Project Gutenberg