Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for whit. Search instead for whits.
Jump To:
Synonyms

whit

American  
[hwit, wit] / ʰwɪt, wɪt /

noun

  1. a particle; bit; jot (used especially in negative phrases).

    not a whit better.


Whit 1 British  
/ wɪt /

noun

  1. See Whitsuntide

"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

adjective

  1. of or relating to Whitsuntide

"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
whit 2 British  
/ wɪt /

noun

  1. (usually used with a negative) the smallest particle; iota; jot

    he has changed not a whit

"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

Etymology

Origin of whit

1470–80; perhaps alteration of Middle English wiht wight 1

Explanation

Whit means a small tiny part of something. If you don't even have a whit of courage, you are most likely a chicken. Whit indicates a bit of something, and usually something abstract like a feeling or emotion. You might feel the last whit of your confidence depart when your teacher hands out the 32-page final exam. Don't confuse whit with wit, meaning mental sharpness or keen sense of humor. Let's hope you have more than a whit of wit in your personality!

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing whit

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:

Speculators, in contrast, care not a whit for cash flow; they are focused instead on future stock prices.

From MarketWatch Oct. 24, 2025

And if the ending doesn’t feel entirely earned … well, we had so much fun getting there that it doesn’t matter a whit.

From Seattle Times Jun. 4, 2024

As I argue in my new book, at the time of the stand of the 300 at Thermopylae, the Spartans cared not a whit for freedom or liberating others.

From Slate Jan. 16, 2024

"You could have teams of defense lawyers and experts review those documents until the end of time and it wouldn't matter one whit to the outcome of the case," he wrote.

From Salon Oct. 5, 2023

I didn’t care one whit about the lashes.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

He will be ridden by Joe Ramos for trainer Whit Beckman.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 30, 2026

Whit Clay, a spokesman for Elysium and Black, said Elysium “had a limited investment” with JPMorgan.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 27, 2026

If that keeps creeping up, it raises the risk of higher bad debt, says Leerink analyst Whit Mayo.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 13, 2026

Leerink Partners analyst Whit Mayo said those factors provided a boost of $1 per share to the company’s earnings.

From Barron's Oct. 21, 2025

“I’ll play out a few with you,” said Whit.

From "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training