slight

[slahyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR slight ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, slight·er, slight·est.

small in amount, degree, etc.: a slight increase; a slight odor.

of little importance, influence, etc.; trivial: a slight cut.

slender or slim; not heavily built.

frail; flimsy; delicate: a slight fabric.

of little substance or strength.

verb (used with object)

to treat as of little importance.

to treat (someone) with indifference; ignore, especially pointedly or contemptuously; snub: to be slighted by society.

to do negligently; scamp: to slight one's studies.

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.

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

Related formsslight·er, nounslight·ly, adverbslight·ness, nouno·ver·slight, adjectiveun·slight·ed, adjective

Synonyms for slight

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR slight ON THESAURUS.COM

2. insignificant, trifling, paltry. 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.

Antonyms for slight

1. considerable.

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

Related Words for slight

superficial, slim, meager, slender, modest, negligible, trivial, minor, rejection, affront, snub, scorn, disparage, petty, off, scanty, fat, piddling, outside, remote

Examples from the Web for slight

Contemporary Examples of slight

Her slight miscalculation of how to fix the situation leads to her driving around the gas pump.
Slow Motion Tiger Jump, a Tornado at the Rose Bowl and More Viral Videos
The Daily Beast Video
January 4, 2015
The traditional wisdom is “action is character,” and their evolution is one, with a slight edge to character.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
He had a tailor who ran up dozens of the same suit in different sizes to account for slight variations in his weight.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
Dawn was rising on November 24, 1964, and there was a slight fog but otherwise clear visibility.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis
Nina Strochlic
November 23, 2014
Several polls over the last few months—including in early October—have showed Grimes with a slight lead over McConnell.
Mitch McConnell’s Big Day: A Turtle Suns Himself
Olivia Nuzzi
November 4, 2014

Historical Examples of slight

"He was probably afraid to tell you," said Halbert, with a slight sneer.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
A free ticket was given to Robert in return for some slight service.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
Mrs. Rushton was pleased with this mark of attention, and after a slight demur, accepted.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
Celine stared, resting no slight weight on the hot flat-iron.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Robert glanced at Halbert's figure, slight compared with his own, and laughed.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger

British Dictionary definitions for slight

slight

adjective

small in quantity or extent

of small importance; trifling

slim and delicate

lacking in strength or substance

Southwest English dialect ill

verb (tr)

to show indifference or disregard for (someone); snub

to treat as unimportant or trifling

US to devote inadequate attention to (work, duties, etc)

noun

an act or omission indicating supercilious neglect or indifference

Derived Formsslightness, noun

Word 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

Word Origin and History for slight

adj.

early 14c., "flat, smooth; hairless," probably from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse slettr "smooth, sleek," from Proto-Germanic *slikhtaz (cf. Old Saxon slicht; Low German slicht "smooth, plain common;" Old English -sliht "level," attested in eorðslihtes "level with the ground;" Old Frisian sliucht "smooth, slight," Middle Dutch sleht "even, plain," Old High German sleht, Gothic slaihts "smooth"), probably from a collateral form of PIE *sleig- "to smooth, glide, be muddy," from root *(s)lei- "slimy" (see slime (n.)).

Sense evolution probably is from "smooth" (c.1300), to "slim, slender; of light texture," hence "not good or strong; insubstantial, trifling, inferior, insignificant" (early 14c.). Meaning "small in amount" is from 1520s. Sense of German cognate schlecht developed from "smooth, plain, simple" to "bad, mean, base," and as it did it was replaced in the original senses by schlicht, a back-formation from schlichten "to smooth, to plane," a derivative of schlecht in the old sense [Klein].

c.1300, "make plain or smooth," from slight (adj.) Meaning "treat with indifference" (1590s) is from the adjective in sense of "having little worth." Related: Slighted; slighting.

1550s, "small amount or weight," from slight (v.). Meaning "act of intentional neglect or ignoring out of displeasure or contempt" is from 1701, probably via 17c. phrase make a slight of (1610s).

Idioms and Phrases with slight

slight

see in the least (slightest).