Meaning of small in English
Table of contents
Pronunciation
/smɔl/US accent
UK accent
to browse different examples of pronunciation.Classifying Adjective
smallDefinitions
1. limited in size or scopeExamples
- « a small business »
- « a newspaper with a modest circulation »
- « small-scale plans »
- « a pocket-size country »
Synonyms
- 2. low or inferior in station or quality
Examples
- « a humble cottage »
- « a lowly parish priest »
- « a modest man of the people »
- « small beginnings »
Synonyms
- 3. not fully grown
Examples
- « what a big little boy you are »
- « small children »
Synonyms
- 4. not large but sufficient in size or amount
Examples
- « a modest salary »
- « modest inflation »
- « helped in my own small way »
Synonyms
- 5. (of a voice) faint
Examples
- « a little voice »
- « a still small voice »
Synonyms
- 6. made to seem smaller or less (especially in worth)
Examples
- « her comments made me feel small »
Synonyms
- 7. lowercase
Examples
- « little a »
- « small a »
- « e.e.cummings's poetry is written all in minuscule letters »
Synonyms
- 8. have fine or very small constituent particles
Examples
- « a small misty rain »
Synonyms
Adverb
smallDefinitions
1. on a small scaleExamples
- « think small »
Antonyms
Noun
smallDefinitions
1. the slender part of the back- 2. a garment size for a small person
Qualitative Adjective
smallEtymology
Old English smæl, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch smal and German schmalDefinitions
1. limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extentExamples
- « a little dining room »
- « a little house »
- « a small car »
- « a little (or small) group »
- « a small voice »
Synonyms
- bantam
- diminutive
- lilliputian
- midget
- petite
- tiny
- flyspeck
- bitty
- bittie
- teensy
- teentsy
- teeny
- wee
- weeny
- weensy
- teensy-weensy
- teeny-weeny
- itty-bitty
- itsy-bitsy
- dinky
- dwarfish
- elfin
- elflike
- gnomish
- half-size
- infinitesimal
- minute
- microscopic
- least
- littlest
- smallest
- lesser
- micro
- miniature
- minuscule
- miniscule
- pocket-size
- pocket-sized
- pocketable
- puny
- runty
- shrimpy
- slender
- slim
- smaller
- littler
- smallish
- small-scale
- undersize
- undersized
Antonyms
- 2. too small to be seen except under a microscope
Synonyms
Antonyms
Famous quotes
- « Nevertheless, the number of farmers, small as well as large, who are adopting the new seeds and new technology is increasing very rapidly, and the increase in numbers during the past three years has been phenomenal. » Norman Borlaug
- « That sort of half sigh, which, accompanied by two or three slight nods of the head, is pity's small change in general society. » Charles Dickens
- « It's extremely hard for athletes to accept what's happened to them sometimes. It's hard to be beaten by a small margin, and I've spoken with athletes who, for years afterward, have been tormented by the knowledge that, had they done something ever so slightly different, they could have been one-ten-thousandth of a second quicker. » Chris Cleave
- « For a good workout, I go to At One Fitness in North Hollywood, where my trainer, Jon Allsop, puts me through it all. I like it because it's a small gym and I've known the people for a long time. Jon will have me do cross-training where I'll lift weights, jump rope, throw around a medicine ball and I never get to stop. » Tim DeKay
- « For those that are working part time, in small businesses, or who are unemployed and do not currently have health insurance, we want to make sure that you are covered. » Valerie Jarrett