lightweight

American  

[lahyt-weyt] / ˈlaɪtˌweɪt /

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).

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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 British  

/ ˈlaɪtˌweɪt /

adjective

1. of a relatively light weight

2. not serious; trivial

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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 Word Forms

• ultralightweight
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of lightweight

First recorded in 1765–75; light ² + weight

Explanation

When an object is lightweight, it weighs much less than other similar objects. A person is a lightweight if they can't handle much — if you get full after a small meal, big eaters might refer to you as a lightweight. Break lightweight apart — light + weight — and you see its definition right there in its root words. Someone who is called a lightweight is either a professional boxer who weighs under 135 pounds or he's someone with little importance or ability. When a company is looking to make layoffs, it's the lightweight employees, or those who just aren't important to the business that often get axed first.

Example Sentences

Similarly, Nike debuted the ACG Pegasus Trail in April for customers who like the lightweight, responsive Pegasus Road shoe but were moving to the dirt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

Fighter Paddy Pimblett believes his ego was part of the reason he lost to Justin Gaethje in their interim UFC lightweight title fight in January.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

It is lightweight, inexpensive, and its chiral phonons generate their own internal magnetic effects.

From Science Daily • Apr. 19, 2026

The schools are using Mithril’s Campus Guardian Angel system, which combines the use of cheap, lightweight drones with remote monitoring and operations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

It was a lightweight nylon-frame job, and all the necessities, from toilet paper to a flashlight and matches, extra socks, a plastic see-through poncho, and a lightweight sleeping bag were already in it.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols