little

1 of 4

adjective

lit·​tle ˈli-tᵊl How to pronounce little (audio)
littler ˈli-tᵊl-ər How to pronounce little (audio)
ˈlit-lər
 or less ˈles How to pronounce little (audio) or lesser ˈle-sər How to pronounce little (audio) ; littlest ˈli-tᵊl-əst How to pronounce little (audio)
ˈlit-ləst
 or least ˈlēst How to pronounce little (audio)
Synonyms of littlenext
1
: not big: such as
a
: small in size or extent : tiny
has little feet
b
: young
was too little to remember
c
of a plant or animal : small in comparison with related forms
—used in vernacular names
d
: having few members or inhabitants
a little group
little towns
e
: small in condition, distinction, or scope
big business trampling on the little fellow
f
: narrow, mean
the pettiness of little minds
g
: pleasingly small
a cute little thing
h
—used as an intensive
why, you little devil!
2
: not much: such as
a
: existing only in a small amount or to a slight degree
has little money
b
: short in duration : brief
There is little time left.
c
: existing to an appreciable though not extensive degree or amount
—used with a
had a little money in the bank
3
: small in importance or interest : trivial
a few little problems to be dealt with
littleness
ˈli-tᵊl-nəs How to pronounce little (audio)
noun

little

2 of 4

adverb

less ˈles How to pronounce little (audio) ; least ˈlēst How to pronounce little (audio)
1
a
: in only a small quantity or degree : slightly
facts that were little known at the time
b
: not at all
cared little for their neighbors
2
: rarely, infrequently

little

3 of 4

pronoun

: not much : almost nothing
Little has changed.
There was little to spare.
They ate little that morning.
The child recalled/understood little of what happened.
There is little we can do to help.
His argument did little to change their minds.
They told us precious little about the situation.

little

4 of 4

noun

plural littles
1
: a small amount or quantity
She felt better after she'd eaten a little.
There's still some money left, but only a very little.
They didn't understand much but they did understand a little.
They understood more than a little [=much] of what was going on.
The family worked hard to earn what little they could.
With quality perfumes a little goes a long way.—Gerry Cupido
2
: a short time or distance
We sat and rested for a little.
It's on the right, just a little past the school.
3
: a young child : little one
How you introduce your littles to the trail helps determine what they think of hiking as they grow.—Backpacker
… Beyoncé and JAY-Z don't post many photos of their littlest littles.—Azure Hall
As a mom determined to nurse each of her littles, I've tucked myself away in airplane bathrooms dozens of times to pump ounces of milk.—Kourtney Gibson

see also a little

Phrases
in little
: on a small scale
especially : in miniature

Synonyms

Adjective

Adverb

Noun

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for little

small, little, diminutive, minute, tiny, miniature mean noticeably below average in size.

small and little are often interchangeable, but small applies more to relative size determined by capacity, value, number.

a relatively small backyard

little is more absolute in implication often carrying the idea of petiteness, pettiness, insignificance, or immaturity.

your pathetic little smile

diminutive implies abnormal smallness.

diminutive bonsai plants

minute implies extreme smallness.

a minute amount of caffeine in the soda

tiny is an informal equivalent to minute.

tiny cracks formed in the painting

miniature applies to an exactly proportioned reproduction on a very small scale.

a dollhouse with miniature furnishings

Examples of little in a Sentence

Adjective I have very little money, so I can't lend you any. I have less money than I did before. I got very little sleep last night. There's little hope of a rescue now. You have little choice but to pay attention. The new version bears little resemblance to the original. These programs have very little chance of succeeding. These trinkets have little or no value. We're having a little party this weekend. a little group of people Adverb She works very little and sleeps even less. Please speak as little as possible. We had little more than we needed. His art is little known in this country. Noun there's just a little of the pie left
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
This comfy pair of undies gets bonus points for its buttery-smooth material, picot trim, and little rosette detail. —Annie Blackman, Allure, 23 Nov. 2024 Tracking Trump's picks to serve in his Cabinet, administration But beyond tactics, Democrats lamented a reputation as elitist, inside-the-beltway experts with little knowledge or interest in what average Americans feel is important for the country. —Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 22 Nov. 2024
Adverb
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite lost 0.11%, while the broad index closed little changed at 5,917.11, The Dow Jones Industrial Average was a bright spot, gaining 0.32%. —Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 20 Nov. 2024 Lutnick, who rebuilt the investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald after the Sept. 11 attacks that killed almost 700 employees, had been little known outside of Wall Street. —Scott Horsley, NPR, 19 Nov. 2024
Noun
Considered one of the scariest haunted houses in Cincinnati, the littles can visit with the lights on and friendly ghouls hand out candy. —Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 13 Oct. 2024 And yet the government has done precious little to keep it from happening again. —Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 13 July 2017 See all Example Sentences for little 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Adverb, and Noun

Middle English littel, from Old English lȳtel; akin to Old High German luzzil little

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Pronoun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of little was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing little

Dictionary Entries Near little

litting

little

little anteater

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Little.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/little. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

little

1 of 3 adjective
lit·​tle ˈlit-ᵊl How to pronounce little (audio)
littler ˈlit-ᵊl-ər How to pronounce little (audio)
ˈlit-lər
 or less ˈles How to pronounce little (audio) or lesser ˈles-ər How to pronounce little (audio) ; littlest ˈlit-ᵊl-əst How to pronounce little (audio)
ˈlit-ləst
 or least ˈlēst How to pronounce little (audio)
1
a
: small in size
b
: young entry 1 sense 1a
was too little to remember
c
: small in comparison with related forms
little blue heron
d
: narrow entry 1 sense 3, mean
people with little minds
2
a
: small in quantity
there was little food to feed them
b
: short in duration
little time left
3
: small in importance
life's little problems
4
: being younger
my little brother
littleness
ˈlit-ᵊl-nəs How to pronounce little (audio)
noun

little

2 of 3 adverb
less ˈles How to pronounce little (audio) ; least ˈlēst How to pronounce little (audio)
1
: in a very small quantity or degree : slightly
had little more than we needed
a little known fact
2
: not very often
travels little

little

3 of 3 noun
1
: a small amount or quantity
2
: a short time or distance

Medical Definition

little

adjective
lit·​tle ˈlit-ᵊl How to pronounce little (audio)
littler ˈlit-ᵊl-ər, ˈlit-lər How to pronounce little (audio) or less ˈles How to pronounce little (audio) or lesser ˈles-ər How to pronounce little (audio) ; littlest ˈlit-ᵊl-əst, ˈlit-ləst How to pronounce little (audio) or least ˈlēst How to pronounce little (audio)
: not big: as
a
: small in size or extent
has little feet
b
of a plant or animal : small in comparison with related forms
—used in vernacular names

More from Merriam-Webster on little

Nglish: Translation of little for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of little for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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