slight
[ slahyt ]
/ slaɪt /
adjective, slight·er, slight·est.
verb (used with object)
noun
an act or instance of slighting or being slighted: The critics’ slights led her to change direction in her work.
a pointed and contemptuous discourtesy; affront: She considered not being invited an unforgivable slight.
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Nearby words
sliding vector, slier, sliest, slieve, slieve donard, slight, slighting, slightly, sligo, slily, slim
Origin of slight
1250–1300; Middle English (adj.) smooth, sleek, slender; compare Old English -sliht- in eorth-slihtes even with ground; cognate with German schlicht, Old Norse slēttr, Gothic slaihts smooth
SYNONYMS FOR slight
3 See slender.
4 weak, feeble, fragile.
5 unsubstantial, inconsiderable.
6 disdain, scorn. Slight, disregard, neglect, overlook mean to pay no attention or too little attention to someone or something. To slight is to give only superficial attention to something important: to slight one's work. To disregard is to pay no attention to a person or thing: to disregard the rules; in some circumstances, to disregard may be admirable: to disregard a handicap. To neglect is to shirk paying sufficient attention to a person or thing: to neglect one's correspondence. To overlook is to fail to see someone or something (possibly because of carelessness): to overlook a bill that is due.
9 neglect, disregard, inattention.
10 See insult.
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for slight
British Dictionary definitions for slight
slight
/ (slaɪt) /
adjective
verb (tr)
noun
an act or omission indicating supercilious neglect or indifference
Derived Forms
slightness, nounWord Origin for slight
C13: from Old Norse slēttr smooth; related to Old High German slehtr, Gothic slaihts, Middle Dutch slecht simple
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
Idioms and Phrases with slight
slight
see in the least (slightest).
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.