little
Americanadjective
-
littler,
comparative
-
less,
comparative
-
lesser,
comparative
-
littlest,
superlative
-
least
superlative
-
small in size; not big; not large; tiny.
a little desk in the corner of the room.
-
short in duration; not extensive; short; brief.
a little while.
-
small in number.
a little group of scientists.
-
small in amount or degree; not much.
little hope.
-
of a certain amount; appreciable (usually preceded bya ).
We're having a little difficulty.
-
being such on a small scale.
little farmers.
-
younger or youngest.
He's my little brother.
-
not strong, forceful, or loud; weak.
a little voice.
-
small in consideration, importance, position, affluence, etc..
little discomforts;
tax reductions to help the little fellow.
-
mean, narrow, or illiberal.
a little mind.
-
endearingly small or considered as such.
Bless your little heart!
-
amusingly small or so considered.
a funny little way of laughing.
-
contemptibly small, petty, mean, etc., or so considered.
filthy little political tricks.
adverb
noun
-
a small amount, quantity, or degree.
They did little to make him comfortable.
If you want some ice cream, there's a little in the refrigerator.
-
a short distance.
It's down the road a little.
-
a short time.
Stay here for a little.
idioms
-
think little of, to treat casually; regard as trivial.
They think little of driving 50 miles to see a movie.
-
little by little, by small degrees; gradually.
The water level rose little by little.
-
make little of,
-
to belittle.
to make little of one's troubles.
-
to understand or interpret only slightly.
Scholars made little of the newly discovered text.
-
-
in little, on a small scale; in miniature.
a replica in little of Independence Hall.
-
not a little, to a great extent; very much; considerably.
It tired me not a little to stand for three hours.
determiner
-
(often preceded by a)
-
a small quantity, extent, or duration of
the little hope there is left
very little milk
-
( as pronoun )
save a little for me
-
-
not much
little damage was done
-
See make of
-
-
very
-
a lot
-
-
a considerable amount
-
to have a low opinion of
adjective
-
of small or less than average size
-
young
a little boy
our little ones
-
endearingly familiar; dear
my husband's little ways
-
contemptible, mean, or disagreeable
your filthy little mind
-
(of a region or district) resembling another country or town in miniature
little Venice
-
a person's secret intention or business
so that's his little game!
-
considerable
adverb
-
(usually preceded by a) in a small amount; to a small extent or degree; not a lot
to laugh a little
-
(used preceding a verb) not at all, or hardly
he little realized his fate
-
not much or often
we go there very little now
-
by small degrees
Usage
What is a basic definition of little? Little describes something that is small in size. Little also describes a short time. And little can refer to a small amount of something. Little has many other senses as an adjective, adverb, and noun. If something is little, it is tiny or physically small. Little is the opposite of words like big, huge, and gigantic. The noun form of this sense is littleness. Real-life examples: Newborn babies are little. A single grain of sand is little. A dime is a little coin compared to quarters and nickels. Used in a sentence: I found a little piece of paper tucked inside the small book. Little also describes a short amount of time. This sense is commonly used as “a little while” or “a little bit.” This sense is a synonym of words like brief or short. Real-life examples: A five-minute rest is a little break. You might go away for a weekend and call it a little vacation. You might stay at a friend’s house for a little while before saying goodbye. And 367 days is a little over a year. Used in a sentence: We stopped at the gas station for a little bit to fill up the car before continuing our trip. Little can also describe a small amount of something. Real-life examples: A chef might add a little salt to a recipe. There might be a little rain on a cloudy day. A new chess player usually has little chance of beating a professional. Used in a sentence: She added to the romantic atmosphere by playing a little music. Little is also used in this sense as a noun. Used in a sentence: If you are looking for paint, there is a little in the supply closet.
Synonym Usage
Little, diminutive, minute, small refer to that which is not large or significant. Little (the opposite of big ) is very general, covering size, extent, number, quantity, amount, duration, or degree: a little boy; a little time. Small (the opposite of large and of great ) can many times be used interchangeably with little, but is especially applied to what is limited or below the average in size: small oranges. Diminutive denotes (usually physical) size that is much less than the average or ordinary; it may suggest delicacy: the baby's diminutive fingers; diminutive in size but autocratic in manner. Minute suggests that which is so tiny it is difficult to discern, or that which implies attentiveness to the smallest details: a minute quantity; a minute exam.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of little
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English lȳtel ( lȳt “few, small” + -el diminutive suffix), cognate with Dutch luttel, Old High German luzzil, Old Norse lītill
Explanation
Anything small, brief, young, or unimportant can be described as little. If you live in a little cottage, it means your house is very small, and quite possibly adorable. The word little describes something tiny and sweet, like a little kitten or a little doll house rocking chair. Little can also mean some, but not much, like when you only want a little soup — not a big bowl, or when you put little effort into your appearance when you are doing yard work. The expression little by little means very slowly, or by tiny increments, like learning a new language little by little.
Vocabulary lists containing little
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Overall little incremental news after all peers have already reported, but little to get excited about either.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Having seen non-Indigenous filmmakers come to the Arctic and offer little in return, the Inuit co-creators, who both live in Nunavut, were determined to give back to their community.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
“We were a little bit insulated at the time from the controversy back in the states,” one of the bandmates told the audience, setting up “Not Ready to Make Nice.”
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2026
Since taking the presidency, Prabowo has shown little interest in pushing ahead with Jokowi's legacy project: the construction of Nusantara, a new capital.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
It’s my and my twin brother’s first time meeting her, and Dad’s a little nervous.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
After taking over from Jones, Borthwick very nearly led England to the Rugby World Cup final less than a year later, losing to South Africa by a single point in their semi-final.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Oil futures were more or less flat, rising 31 cents, or 0.3%, to $90.83 a barrel in New York as traders awaited changes in Iran policy in the wake of the midterm elections.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
For bears, or those with less confidence in Micron’s stock, the idea is that the prospect of a memory downturn is becoming more real, Hendi Susanto, a portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds, told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
In more recent years, deputy subgroups typically have been less outwardly visible, but critics and watchdogs say they remain a serious issue within the Sheriff’s Department.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
“You’ve got less than ten days to get to the starting line!”
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Analysts, however, expected Barrera to consolidate the votes of Democrats and predicted that the support of CTA, and other unions to a lesser extent, would make a difference for him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
Jim O'Neill, an economist and former Treasury minister, said: "I'm not surprised. People were, and to a lesser extent, are, underestimating the improving momentum in the UK,"
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
“They instead receive lesser amounts dictated by the remaining Executor, who uses this power to deter them from checking his abuses,” Paris’ petition alleges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
Especially when led authoritatively by Ms. Hurlin as Titania and Daniel Camargo as Oberon, with all the lesser characters in rapport, this “Dream” was a marvel of Ashton’s theatrical-ballet savvy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
During his entire career as a naturalist, only one animal had ever unexpectedly attacked Cherrie: a tamandua, or lesser anteater.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
Though Disneyland Park’s littler and much younger sibling, the park has grown into a respectable offering, one that ranks among my favorite Disney parks in North America.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
"You wouldn't think there were that many places to hide but when Ramona was littler, I think she'd been in every cupboard in one of those trailers," says Drew-Honey, now 28.
From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2024
No surprise there—as the term accelerates toward a contentious finale, the tensions roiling major cases are bound to spill over into littler ones.
From Slate ● Jun. 17, 2024
Her accessories are larger for littler hands, and her hair is extra long for easier brushing.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 12, 2023
I used to, when I was hiding here, I kept thinking of when I was littler, you know, younger, before I was good friends with Link.
From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson
It will have secure lines of communication not dependent on the internet, and fuel, water and food to ensure it can operate without resupply for at least three days.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
Tesla found at least one big buyer of Cybertrucks: SpaceX.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
He ranks 31st in QB rating among passers with at least 100 attempts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Over half of transgender youth have had suicidal thoughts in their lifetime and 31 percent have made at least one suicide attempt, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
For he had become a Christian, some forty years earlier, without ceasing in the least to be a loyal Jew.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
"We didn't abandon seatbelts because people didn't want to buckle up, and we will not flinch at holding tech companies to account when our littlest citizens are at stake."
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
The littlest Mac has gone viral as a cost-effective way for AI power users to run local large language models that can eat up dozens of gigabytes of RAM, aka memory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
"It's the littlest things that can trigger you. Even cutting a piece of fruit with a knife or seeing blood can be triggering; just normal, mundane things," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2025
When the library shoot was delayed, for example, the studio teachers staged an impromptu “pet show” for the littlest kids.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2024
She was talking about the littlest of the lambs, still small and frail while the others had grown to be sturdy young sheep, full of play.
From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
