slight
Americanadjective
-
small in amount, degree, etc..
a slight increase;
a slight odor.
- Antonyms:
- considerable
-
of little importance, influence, etc.; trivial.
a slight cut.
- Synonyms:
- paltry, trifling, insignificant
-
slender or slim; not heavily built.
-
frail; flimsy; delicate.
a slight fabric.
-
of little substance or strength.
- Synonyms:
- inconsiderable, unsubstantial
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.
- Synonyms:
- inattention, disregard, neglect
-
a pointed and contemptuous discourtesy; affront.
She considered not being invited an unforgivable slight.
adjective
-
small in quantity or extent
-
of small importance; trifling
-
slim and delicate
-
lacking in strength or substance
-
dialect ill
verb
-
to show indifference or disregard for (someone); snub
-
to treat as unimportant or trifling
-
to devote inadequate attention to (work, duties, etc)
noun
Synonym Usage
See slender. 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. See insult.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
slightsimple
-
slightssimple
-
have slightedperfect
-
has slightedperfect
-
am slightingprogressive
-
are slightingprogressive
-
is slightingprogressive
-
have been slightingperfect progressive
-
has been slightingperfect progressive
Past
-
slightedsimple
-
had slightedperfect
-
was slightingprogressive
-
were slightingprogressive
-
had been slightingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slight
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English (adjective) “smooth, sleek, slender”; compare Old English -sliht- in eorth-slihtes “even with ground”; cognate with German schlicht, Old Norse slēttr, Gothic slaihts “smooth”
Explanation
Anything slight is very small. There's a slight chance you'll run into a celebrity in New York City — in other words, don't count on it. A slight is also an insult, like giving someone the cold shoulder. Burr. Every meaning of slight stems from the Old Norse for "small or flimsy." If you have a slight build, you're slim with small bones. A slight deviation from your plan is a tiny adjustment. As a verb, to slight means to ignore or be indifferent toward someone; it's also the noun for the act of ignoring. If you direct a movie and the star doesn't thank you in her award acceptance speech, you'll be offended at the slight.
Vocabulary lists containing slight
Some Tricky Homonyms
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Words from Shakespearean Insults
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15 Synonyms for "Thin": An Eileen Ford (1922-2014) Tribute List
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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:
While the reported sales figures showed only slight growth, that included a five percent negative impact from changes in exchange rates.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
“The eagle continues to perch and eat, and there is slight improvement in her energy,” says the center’s Eliza Cameron in the post.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
"In the early stages, just a slight movement in bed would be excruciating pain," Hearn said.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Shares fell 6% Friday morning, as investors were disappointed by the slight miss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
It was just a small wave, an eager nod, a slight scoot of his chair to make room for another—like he actually wanted me to take my bag and tray and cross the entire cafeteria.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
It isn’t clear how deeply the disagreements and slights might affect a relationship that has long been a cornerstone of U.S. security policy in the Middle East.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
This helps explain why he can’t disregard her criticism the way any normal person might shrug off slights from someone they don’t respect.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Drake turns the frigid, isolated mansion rap that’s become his trademark toward relitigating the last half-decade of petty squabbles and minor slights.
From Salon ● May 21, 2026
Ekulona’s Julie is assailed as much by Hedda’s slights as by her indifference.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
Big Bill, whom the Defender called “the spectacular, nervy Mayor of Chicago,” publicly spoke out against the slights that blacks found so demeaning, and made a great show of celebrating their successes.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
We’re left with a nightmare of identity that feels slighter than it should, unsure of where to point its knife.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
Seattle-area residents may have another, albeit slighter, chance to catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis Saturday evening, the Seattle office of the National Weather Service says.
From Seattle Times ● May 11, 2024
Wu showcases a knack for mining meaning out of the slighter essays, about her teenage job at a quaint bakery, for example, or her idiosyncratic affection for bunnies.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 2, 2022
Originally programmed in 1987 by George Lewis, the composer, performer and computer-music pioneer, Voyager’s discography is slighter than Mitchell’s, but likewise thrilling.
From New York Times ● Aug. 22, 2022
A big guy as dark as midnight and a slighter guy, also dark black.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
Traditional Kung Pao chicken calls for stir-fried chicken, so no, this recipe isn’t authentic in the slightest.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
The same goes for securities brokers — “The slightest doubt as to the trustworthiness of a broker’s word or commitment would put him out of business overnight.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Current quantum machines are prone to start making mistakes in the event of the slightest interference such as small vibrations or a tiny change in temperature.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
Not in my favor: I cannot abide hippie culture, bristle at the slightest whiff of woo woo and balk reflexively at the phrase “loving kindness,” which immediately calls to mind the worst person I know.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
“That won’t do either. The only one of us who has the slightest interest in food is Orgoch. And I’m sure your wallet holds nothing to tempt her.”
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
He also shared times that fun moments have gone sour, such as feeling slighted by a friend who profited from selling him a boat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Leaving a group trip where someone feels financially slighted can lead to conflict when you get back home.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
“That was a father. I can’t sit here and be angry or feel slighted by LeBron James in any way in that regard.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2025
Judge Geraint Walters told Swansea Crown Court that Cooper appeared to have felt "slighted" after Mr Evans and his partner shared a look while his partner, Catherine Tracy Francis, was singing karaoke.
From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2025
They chatted, they laughed, and Citra found herself feeling slighted that Rowan hadn’t even sought her out.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
That would be slighting those who came before him: Ozzie Newsome, Dave Casper and Keith Jackson in the day, and Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten and Rob Gronkowski in more recent years.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 9, 2022
Black vultures have a massive 5 foot wing span, slighting smaller than the turkey vulture.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2022
After some accused her of unnecessarily forcing a link between the “Hustlers” star and the “Euphoria” star, @NBAgladiator clarified that she’s “not slighting either woman.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2022
Piers Morgan, a British talk show host who never seems to tire of slighting the couple, tweeted that the interview was a “disgraceful betrayal of the Queen and the Royal Family.”
From Washington Post ● Mar. 8, 2021
I’d thought I was getting back at her for slighting me.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Definitions 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.
