little

English

Etymology

From Middle English litel, from Old English lyttel, lȳtel, from Proto-West Germanic *lūtil, from Proto-Germanic *lūtilaz (“tending to stoop, crouched, little”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewd- (“to bend, bent, small”), equivalent to lout +‎ -le. Cognate with Dutch luttel, regional German lütt and lützel, Saterland Frisian litje, West Frisian lyts, Low German lütt, lüttje. Related also to Old English lūtan (“to bow, bend low”); and perhaps to Old English lytiġ (“deceitful”), Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐍄𐍃 (liuts, “deceitful”), 𐌻𐌿𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (lutjan, “to deceive”); compare also Icelandic lítill (“little”), Faroese lítil, Swedish liten, Danish liden, lille, Gothic 𐌻𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌹𐌻𐍃 (leitils), which appear to have a different root vowel. More at lout.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈlɪtl̩/, [ˈlɪtʰɫ̩]

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈlɪt(ə)l/, [ˈlɪɾɫ̩], [ˈɫɪɾɫ̩]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈlɪt(ə)l/, [ˈlɪɾɫ̩]
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈlɘtl̩/

• Audio (NZ)

  (file)

• Homophone: Littell
• Hyphenation: lit‧tle
• Rhymes: -ɪtəl

Adjective

little (comparative less or lesser or littler, superlative least or littlest)

1. Small in size.

   This is a little table.

   1. Small and underdeveloped, particularly (of a male) in the genitals.

      Synonyms: small, under-endowed

      • 2017, David Russell, Winston Patrick Mystery 2-Book Bundle‎^[1], page 70:

        "You are a little, little man," she proclaimed, staring obviously below my waist as she pronounced the second "little." It was almost disappointing. I'd heard that one before, but it still left a new scar each time.

   • Small definition

     Not large or big; insignificant; few in number. (1 of 10 small definitions)

   • Under-Endowed definition

     Alternative form of underendowed.
2. Insignificant, trivial.
   • 2013 June 21, Chico Harlan, “Japan pockets the subsidy …”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 30:

     Across Japan, technology companies and private investors are racing to install devices that until recently they had little interest in: solar panels. Massive solar parks are popping up as part of a rapid build-up that one developer likened to an "explosion."

   It's of little importance.

   1. (offensive) Used to belittle a person.

      Listen up, you little shit.

   • Insignificant definition

     Not significant; not important, inconsequential, or having no noticeable effect. (1 of 2 insignificant definitions)

   • Trivial definition

     Ignorable; of little significance or value. (1 of 8 trivial definitions)

   • Offensive definition

     Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, hatred, sadness, or indignation. (1 of 3 offensive definitions)

   • Belittle definition

     To knowingly say that something is smaller or less important than it actually is, especially as a way of showing contempt or deprecation. (1 of 2 belittle definitions)

   • Shit definition

     Solid excretory product evacuated from the bowels; feces. (1 of 13 shit definitions)
3. Very young.

   Did he tell you any embarrassing stories about when she was little?

   That's the biggest little boy I've ever seen.

   • Young definition

     In the early part of growth or life; born not long ago. (1 of 8 young definitions)
4. (of a sibling) Younger.

   This is my little sister.

5. (often capitalized) Used with the name of a place, especially of a country or its capital, to denote a neighborhood whose residents or storekeepers are from that place.
   • 1871 October 18, The One-eyed Philosopher [pseudonym], "Street Corners", in Judy: or the London serio-comic journal, volume 9, page 255 [2]:

     If you want to find Little France, take any turning on the north side of Leicester square, and wander in a zigzag fashion Oxford Streetwards. The Little is rather smokier and more squalid than the Great France upon the other side of the Manche.

   • 2004, Barry Miles, Zappa: A Biography, edition, published 2005, →ISBN, page 5:

     In the forties, hurdy-gurdy men could still be heard in all those East Coast cities with strong Italian neighbourhoods: New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Boston. A visit to Baltimore's Little Italy at that time was like a trip to Italy itself.

   • 2020, Richa Bhosale, “Croatian Hall in need of repairs to remain open”, in Timmins Daily Press:

     "The theatre was bought by the Croatian immigrants as so many immigrants came here in the ’30s and mostly for mining jobs, but in Schumacher itself it was called little Zagreb, and Zagreb is the capital city of Croatia. There were so many of them that they wanted to have their own little community, so they bought the theatre and they renovated it at that time, remodelled it and made it into a Croatian Hall," she explained.

   1. (derogatory) To imply that the inhabitants of the place have an insular attitude and are hostile to those they perceive as foreign.
      • 2012, Comedian Steve Coogan on Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre, He is the embodiment of Fleet Street bullying, using his newspaper to peddle his Little-England, curtain-twitching Alan Partridgesque view of the world, which manages to combine sanctimonious, pompous moralising and prurient, voyeuristic, judgmental obsession:

   • Place definition

     An area; somewhere within an area.

     1. An open space, particularly a city square, market square, or courtyard.
     2. A street, sometimes but not always surrounding a public place, square, or plaza of the same name. (1 of 25 place definitions)

   • Country definition

     The territory of a nation, especially an independent nation state or formerly independent nation; a political entity asserting ultimate authority over a geographical area; a sovereign state. (1 of 8 country definitions)

   • Capital definition

     Already-produced durable goods available for use as a factor of production, such as steam shovels (equipment) and office buildings (structures). (1 of 8 capital definitions)

   • Neighborhood definition

     The residential area near one's home. (1 of 17 neighborhood definitions)

   • Resident definition

     A person, animal or plant living at a certain location or in a certain area. (1 of 7 resident definitions)

   • Storekeeper definition

     One who runs a shop, either the owner or manager. (1 of 3 storekeeper definitions)

   • Derogatory definition

     Disparaging. (1 of 5 derogatory definitions)
6. Having few members.

   little herd

   • Few definition

     An indefinite, but usually small, number of. (1 of 4 few definitions)
7. (of an industry or other field, or institution(s) therein, often capitalized) Operating on a small scale.

   Little Steel (smaller steel companies, as contrasted with Big Steel)

   Little Science (science performed by individuals or small teams, as contrasted with Big Science)

   • Capitalisation definition

     The act or process of capitalising.

     1. Choice of case (when writing a word); the act or process of writing a word in a particular case, such as ALL CAPS, Title Case, CamelCase, Sentence case, or all lowercase. (1 of 7 capitalisation definitions)

   • Scale definition

     (1 of 18 scale definitions)

   • Little Science definition

     Synonym of small science

   • Big Science definition

     Scientific research that is high-profile, large in scope, and so expensive that it requires government funding.
8. Short in duration; brief.

   I feel better after my little sleep.

9. Small in extent of views or sympathies; narrow; shallow; contracted; mean; illiberal; ungenerous.
   • 1855, Alfred Tennyson, “Maud”, in Maud, and Other Poems, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 20:

     The long-necked geese of the world that are ever hissing dispraise, / Because their natures are little.

   • 2001, Nicholas Petsalis-Diomidis, The Unknown Callas: the Greek Years, page 547:

     Showing unmistakably what a little person he really was, in June 1949 he wrote his newly married daughter with nauseating disregard for the truth

Usage notes

Some authorities regard both littler and littlest as non-standard. The OED says of the word little: "the adjective has no recognized mode of comparison. The difficulty is commonly evaded by resort to a synonym (as smaller, smallest); some writers have ventured to employ the unrecognized forms littler, littlest, which are otherwise confined to dialect or imitations of childish or illiterate speech." The forms lesser and least are encountered in animal names such as lesser flamingo and least weasel.

Antonyms

• (small): large, big
• (young): big
• (younger): big

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

little (comparative less or lesser, superlative least)

1. Not much.

   This is a little known fact.  She spoke little and listened less.

   We slept very little last night.

   • 1914, Louis Joseph Vance, chapter I, in Nobody, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, published 1915, →OCLC:

     Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence. She devoured with more avidity than she had her food those pretentiously phrased chronicles of the snobocracy […] distilling therefrom an acid envy that robbed her napoleon of all its savour.

2. Not at all.

   I was speaking ill of Fred; little did I know that he was right behind me, listening in.

   • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:

     But then I had the [massive] flintlock by me for protection. ¶ […] The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window […], and a 'bead' could be drawn upon Molly, the dairymaid, kissing the fogger behind the hedge, little dreaming that the deadly tube was levelled at them.

   • 2012 May 13, Alistair Magowan, “Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport:

     But as United saw the game out, little did they know that, having looked likely to win their 13th Premier League title, it was City who turned the table to snatch glory from their arch-rivals' grasp.

Antonyms

• much

Translations

Determiner

little (comparative less, superlative least)

1. Not much, only a little: only a small amount (of).

   There is (very) little water left.

   We had very little to do.

   • Much definition

     A large amount of. (1 of 4 much definitions)

   • A Little definition

     To a small extent or degree. (1 of 5 a little definitions)

Usage notes

Little is used with uncountable nouns, few with plural countable nouns.

Little can be used with or without an article. With the indefinite article, the emphasis is that there is indeed some, albeit not much:

We have a little money, so we'll probably get by.

With no article or the definite article (or what), the emphasis is on the scarcity:

We have little money, and little hope of getting more.

The little (or What little) money we have is all going to pay for food and medication, so we can't save any.

Antonyms

• (not much): much

Translations

See also

• a little

Pronoun

little

1. Not much; not a large amount.

   Little is known about his early life.

Noun

little (countable and uncountable, plural littles)

1. (chiefly uncountable or in the singular) A small amount.

   Can I try a little of that sauce?

   Little did he do to make me comfortable.

   If you want some cake, there's a little in the refrigerator

   Many littles make a mickle. (Scottish proverb)

   • Singular definition

     Being only one of a larger population. (1 of 10 singular definitions)
2. (countable, informal) A child; particularly an infant.

   • Child definition

     (1 of 18 child definitions)

   • Infant definition

     A very young human being, from conception to somewhere between six months and two years of age after birth, needing almost constant care and attention. (1 of 3 infant definitions)
3. An adult in a child-like role:

   Antonym: big

   1. (countable, university slang) A newly initiated member of a sorority, who is mentored by a big.
      • 2018, Kelly Ann Gonzales, Through an Opaque Window:

        He was there the night of Cristoph's party. All the littles were assigned to their bigs. Ian and Christoph had rushed the same fraternity. When they became upperclassmen, they both ended up on the board.

      • 2019 April 1, Audrey Steinkamp, “Sororities pair new members with "bigs"”, in Yale Daily News‎^[3]:

        She added that the relationship between bigs and littles is "what each pair makes of it," and that a lot of the pairs often get dinner together and become close friends.

      • 2022 September 27, Shreya Varrier, “Gamma Rho Lambda provides LGBTQIA+ community in greek life”, in Iowa State Daily‎^[4]:

        Some traditions of the chapter include lineages with bigs and littles, receiving of paddles from a big, and a national stroll, Wolsch-Gallia said.

   2. (countable, BDSM, ABDL) The participant in ageplay who acts out the younger role.
   3. (countable) One who has mentally age regressed to a childlike state.
      • 2019 August 30, Kimberly Holland, Healthline‎^[5]:

        People with [dissociative identity] disorder frequently have a younger personality among their distinctive personalities. However, it’s believed that the "little" may not be a separate personality. Instead, it may be a regressed version of the original personality.

   • Big definition

     Of great size, large. (1 of 17 big definitions)

   • University definition

     Institution of higher education (typically accepting students from the age of about 17 or 18, depending on country, but in some exceptional cases able to take younger students) where subjects are studied and researched in depth and degrees are offered.

   • Slang definition

     Language outside of conventional usage and in the informal register. (1 of 6 slang definitions)

   • Sorority definition

     A group of girls or women associated for a common purpose; a sisterhood. (1 of 2 sorority definitions)

   • Bdsm definition

     Sexual or non-sexual practices or activities involving bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism, or acts of domination and submission.

   • Abdl definition

     Sexual practices involving paraphilic infantilism, or sexual arousal that stems from pretending one is an infant through the use of diapers and other paraphernalia.

   • Ageplay definition

     A form of roleplay in which the player deliberately acts an age different from their own (and usually younger).

   • Role definition

     (1 of 10 role definitions)

   • Regressed definition

     simple past and past participle of regress

   • Childlike definition

     Innocent and trustful; credulous; artless. (1 of 2 childlike definitions)

Derived terms

• little space

Related terms

• a little
• li'l, li'l', lil
• little by little
• little old
• belittle (cognate verb)

Anagrams

• tillet