little

lit·tle

L0203900 (lĭt′l)adj. lit·tler or less (lĕs) also less·er (lĕs′ər), lit·tlest or least (lēst) 1. a. Small in size: a little dining room.b. Small in quantity or extent: a little money; a little work on the side. See Synonyms at small.2. Short in extent or duration; brief: There is little time left.3. Unimportant; trivial: a little matter.4. Narrow; petty: mean little comments; a little mind consumed with trivia.5. Having scant power or influence; of minor status: just a little clerk in the records office.6. a. Being at an early stage of growth; young: a little child.b. Younger or youngest. Used especially of a sibling: My little brother is leaving for college next week.adv. less or lesser, least 1. Not much; scarcely: works long hours, sleeping little.2. Not in the least; not at all: They little expected such a generous gift.n.1. A small quantity or amount: Give me a little.2. Something much less than all: I know little of their history.3. A short distance or time: a little down the road; waited a little.Idioms: a little Somewhat; a bit: felt a little better. little by little By small degrees or increments; gradually.

[Middle English, from Old English lȳtel.]

lit′tle·ness n.

little

(ˈlɪtəl) determiner1. (often preceded by a) a. a small quantity, extent, or duration of: the little hope there is left; very little milk. b. (as pronoun): save a little for me. 2. not much: little damage was done. 3. make little of See make of³4. not a little a. veryb. a lot5. quite a little a considerable amount6. think little of to have a low opinion ofadj7. of small or less than average size8. young: a little boy; our little ones. 9. endearingly familiar; dear: my husband's little ways. 10. contemptible, mean, or disagreeable: your filthy little mind. 11. (of a region or district) resembling another country or town in miniature: little Venice. 12. little game a person's secret intention or business: so that's his little game!. 13. no little considerableadv14. (usually preceded by a) in a small amount; to a small extent or degree; not a lot: to laugh a little. 15. (used preceding a verb) not at all, or hardly: he little realized his fate. 16. not much or often: we go there very little now. 17. little by little by small degrees[Old English lӯtel; related to lӯr few, Old High German luzzil]

lit•tle

(ˈlɪt l)

adj. lit•tler less less•er, lit•tlest least, adj. 1. small in size; not big; tiny: a little desk in the corner of the room. 2. short in duration or extent; brief: a little while. 3. small in number: a little group of scientists. 4. small in amount or degree; not much: little hope. 5. of a certain amount; appreciable (usu. prec. by a): We're having a little difficulty. 6. being such on a small scale: little farmers. 7. younger or youngest: my little brother. 8. not strong, forceful, or loud; weak: a little voice. 9. minor; unimportant: life's little discomforts. 10. small in influence, position, affluence, etc.: tax reductions to help the little wage earner. 11. mean, narrow, or illiberal: a little mind. 12. endearingly small or so considered: Bless your little heart! 13. amusingly small or so considered: a funny little way of laughing. 14. contemptibly small, petty, mean, etc.: filthy little tricks. adv. 15. not at all (used before a verb): He little knows what awaits him. 16. in only a small amount or degree; not much; slightly: a little known work of art; little better than before. 17. seldom; rarely; infrequently: We see each other very little. n. 18. a small amount, quantity, or degree: They did little to make us comfortable. 19. a short distance: It's down the road a little. 20. a short time: Stay here for a little. Idioms: 1. little by little, by small degrees; gradually. 2. not a little, to a great extent; very much; considerably. [before 900; Middle English, Old English lȳtel, c. Old Saxon luttil, Old High German luzzil; akin to Old English lȳt minute] lit•tlish (ˈlɪt l ɪʃ, ˈlɪt lɪʃ) adj. lit′tle•ness, n.

little

a little">a little1. 'little' used as an adjective

Little is usually an adjective. You use it to talk about the size of something.

He took a little black book from his pocket.See small - little2. 'a little' used as an adverb

A little is usually an adverb. You use it after a verb, or in front of an adjective or another adverb. It means 'to a small extent or degree'.

They get paid for it. Not much. Just a little.The local football team is doing a little better.The celebrations began a little earlier than expected.

Be Careful!
Don't use 'a little' in front of an adjective when the adjective comes in front of a noun. Don't say, for example, 'It was a little better result'. Say 'It was a slightly better result' or 'It was a somewhat better result'.

3. used in front of nouns

Little and a little are also used in front of nouns to talk about quantities. When they are used like this, they do not have the same meaning.

You use a little to show that you are talking about a small quantity or amount of something. When you use little without 'a', you are emphasizing that there is only a small quantity or amount of something.

So, for example, if you say 'I have a little money', you are saying that you have some money. However, if you say 'I have little money', you mean that you do not have enough money.

I had made a little progress.It is clear that little progress was made.4. used as pronouns

Little and a little can be used in similar ways as pronouns.

Beat in the eggs, a little at a time.Little has changed.5. 'not much'

In conversation and in less formal writing, people do not usually use 'little' without 'a'. Instead they use not much. For example, instead of saying 'I have little money', they say 'I haven't got much money' or 'I don't have much money'.

I haven't got much appetite.We don't have much time.

Be Careful!
Don't use 'little' or 'a little' when you are talking about a small number of people or things. Don't say, for example, 'She has a little hens'. Say 'She has a few hens'. Similarly, don't say 'Little people attended his lectures'. Say 'Few people attended his lectures', or 'Not many people attended his lectures'.

See few - a few

small

little

Small and little are both used to say that someone or something is not large. There are some important differences in the ways these words are used.

1. position in clause

Small can be used in front of a noun, or after a verb such as be.

They escaped in small boats.She is small for her age.

Little is normally used only in front of nouns. You can talk about 'a little town', but you do not say 'The town is little'.

She bought a little table with a glass top.I picked up a little piece of rock.2. used with grading adverbs

You can use words like quite and rather in front of small.

Quite small changes in climate can have enormous effects.She cut me a rather small piece of cake.

Don't use these words in front of 'little'.

You can use very and too in front of small.

The trees are full of very small birds.They are living in houses which are too small.

'Very' or 'too' are not usually used in front of little when it is an adjective, except when you are talking about a young child. You don't say, for example, 'I have a very little car', but you can say 'She was a very little girl.'

3. comparatives and superlatives

Small has the comparative and superlative forms smaller and smallest.

His apartment is smaller than his other place.She rented the smallest car she could.

The comparative form littler and the superlative form littlest are mostly used in spoken English and to talk about young children.

The littler kids had been sent to bed.You used to be the littlest boy in the school.4. used with other adjectives

You can use other adjectives in front of little.

They gave me a funny little hat.She was a pretty little girl.

Be Careful!
You don't normally use other adjectives in front of 'small'.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	little - a small amount or duration; "he accepted the little they gave him"small indefinite amount, small indefinite quantity - an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude
Adj.	1.	little - limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent; "a little dining room"; "a little house"; "a small car"; "a little (or small) group"smallbig, large - above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent; "a large city"; "set out for the big city"; "a large sum"; "a big (or large) barn"; "a large family"; "big businesses"; "a big expenditure"; "a large number of newspapers"; "a big group of scientists"; "large areas of the world"
	2.	little - (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with `a') at least some; "little rain fell in May"; "gave it little thought"; "little time is left"; "we still have little money"; "a little hope remained"; "there's slight chance that it will work"; "there's a slight chance it will work"slightless - (comparative of `little' usually used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning not as great in amount or degree; "of less importance"; "less time to spend with the family"; "a shower uses less water"; "less than three years old"much - (quantifier used with mass nouns) great in quantity or degree or extent; "not much rain"; "much affection"; "much grain is in storage"
	3.	little - (of children and animals) young, immature; "what a big little boy you are"; "small children"smallyoung, immature - (used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth; "young people"
	4.	little - (informal) small and of little importance; "a fiddling sum of money"; "a footling gesture"; "our worries are lilliputian compared with those of countries that are at war"; "a little (or small) matter"; "a dispute over niggling details"; "limited to petty enterprises"; "piffling efforts"; "giving a police officer a free meal may be against the law, but it seems to be a picayune infraction"fiddling, footling, niggling, picayune, piddling, piffling, trivial, petty, lilliputiancolloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speechunimportant - not important; "a relatively unimportant feature of the system"; "the question seems unimportant"
	5.	little - (of a voice) faint; "a little voice"; "a still small voice"smallsoft - (of sound) relatively low in volume; "soft voices"; "soft music"
	6.	little - low in stature; not tall; "he was short and stocky"; "short in stature"; "a short smokestack"; "a little man"shortlow - literal meanings; being at or having a relatively small elevation or upward extension; "low ceilings"; "low clouds"; "low hills"; "the sun is low"; "low furniture"; "a low bow"
	7.	little - lowercase; "little a"; "small a"; "e.e.cummings's poetry is written all in minuscule letters"minuscule, smalllowercase - relating to small (not capitalized) letters that were kept in the lower half of a compositor's type case; "lowercase letters; a and b and c etc"
	8.	little - small in a way that arouses feelings (of tenderness or its opposite depending on the context); "a nice little job"; "bless your little heart"; "my dear little mother"; "a sweet little deal"; "I'm tired of your petty little schemes"; "filthy little tricks"; "what a nasty little situation"emotional - of more than usual emotion; "his behavior was highly emotional"
Adv.	1.	little - not much; "he talked little about his family"

little

determiner1. not much, small, insufficient, scant, meagre, sparse, skimpy, measly, hardly any I had little money and little free time.
not much much, ample, abundant, plentifuladjective1. small, minute, short, tiny, mini, wee, compact, miniature, dwarf, slender, diminutive, petite, dainty, elfin, bijou, infinitesimal, teeny-weeny, Lilliputian, munchkin (informal, chiefly U.S.), teensy-weensy, pygmy or pigmy We sat round a little table.
small great, big, large, huge, giant, enormous, considerable, immense, colossal, ginormous (informal)2. young, small, junior, infant, immature, undeveloped, babyish When I was little, I was hyperactive.3. unimportant, minor, petty, trivial, trifling, insignificant, negligible, paltry, inconsiderable He found himself getting angry over little things.
unimportant important, serious, major, significant, grave, momentous4. short, brief, fleeting, short-lived, passing, hasty, momentary She stood up quickly, giving a little cry of astonishment.
short long5. mean, base, cheap, petty, narrow-minded, small-minded, illiberal I won't play your little mind-games.adverb1. hardly, barely, not quite, not much, only just, scarcely On the way back they spoke very little.
hardly much2. rarely, seldom, scarcely, not often, infrequently, hardly ever We go there very little nowadays.
rarely much, alwaysnoun1. bit, touch, spot, trace, hint, dash, particle, fragment, pinch, small amount, dab, trifle, tad (informal, chiefly U.S.), snippet, speck, modicum They don't get paid much for it. Just a little.
bit much, lota little to a small extent, slightly, to some extent, to a certain extent, to a small degree I'm getting a little tired of having to correct your mistakes.little by little gradually, slowly, progressively, step by step, piecemeal, bit by bit, imperceptibly, by degrees Little by little, he was becoming weaker.Quotations
"Little things affect little minds" [Benjamin Disraeli Sybil]

little

adjective1. Notably below average in amount, size, or scope:bantam, petite, small, smallish.2. Not of great importance:inconsequent, inconsequential, insignificant, trivial, unimportant.3. Not broad or elevated in scope or understanding:limited, narrow, narrow-minded, petty, small, small-minded.4. Not yet large in size because of incomplete growth:small.adverbAt rare intervals:infrequently, occasionally, rarely, seldom, sporadically.Idioms: hardly ever, once in a blue moon.

Translations

小的少毫不琐碎的稍许

little

(ˈlitl) adjective1. small in size. He is only a little boy; when she was little (= a child).小的2. small in amount; not much. He has little knowledge of the difficulties involved.一点点3. not important. I did not expect her to make a fuss about such a little thing.琐碎的 pronoun (only) a small amount. He knows little of the real world.一些 adverb1. not much. I go out little nowadays.少2. only to a small degree. a little-known fact.稍许3. not at all. He little knows how ill he is.毫不a little1. a short time or distance. Move a little to the right! 一点（时间或距离） 2. a small quantity of something. He has a little money to spare; 'Is there any soup left?' `Yes, a little.'少量3. slightly. She was a little frightened.稍许little by little gradually. Little by little we began to get to know him.逐渐地make little of1. to treat as unimportant etc. He made little of his injuries.不重视2. not to be able to understand. I could make little of his instructions.无法领会

little means `not much': You have little reason to boast .
a little means `some', `a small quantity': There's a little milk left .

little

→ 小的zhCN

I speak very little English → 我只会说一点点英语
I'm a little tired → 我有点累了
It's a little expensive (US)
It's quite expensive (UK) → 价钱很贵哦

little

See:

(a little/bit) rough and ready
(a little/bit) rough around the edge
(a little/bit) rough around the edges
(as) sure as God made little green apples
(it's) little wonder
(it's) no wonder
(it's) small wonder
(little) tin god
(little) white lie
(one's) little finger told (one) that
a little
a little (bit) pricey
a little (bit) steep
a little (hard) work never hurt anybody
a little (hard) work never hurt anyone
a little (hard) work never killed anybody
a little (hard) work never killed anyone
a little bird
a little bird told me
a little birdie told me
a little bit
a little bit of bread and no cheese
a little dab'll do ya
a little frog in a big pond
a little from column A, a little from column B
a little green
a little knowledge is a dangerous thing
a little later, perhaps
a little learning is a dangerous thing
a little leery
a little off
a little off Go to a bit
a little pot is soon hot
a lonely little petunia in an onion patch
a nice little earner
a small cog in a large machine
a small cog in a large wheel
a tin god
as old as my eyes and a little (bit) older than my teeth
be (a little) slow on the uptake
be little love lost between (two people)
big fish in a small pond
Birds in their little nests agree
bit by bit
bit off
black book
bless your pointy little head
bother (one's) (pretty little) head about (something)
bundle of joy
busy little beaver
come out the little end of the horn
difficult is done at once; the impossible takes a little longer
don't worry your (pretty little) head about it
down the little red lane
Every little bit helps
get (some kind of) mileage out of (something)
give a little
great cry and little wool
great oaks from little acorns grow
Great oaks from little acorns grow, and Mighty oaks from little ...
great/tall oaks from little acorns grow
have (someone) turned around (one's) (little) finger
have (someone) turned round (one's) (little) finger
have (someone) twisted around (one's) (little) finger
have (someone) twisted round (one's) (little) finger
have (someone) wound around (one's) (little) finger
have (someone) wound round (one's) (little) finger
have (someone) wrapped around (one's) (little) finger
have (someone) wrapped round (one's) (little) finger
have (something) to show for (something)
have a little visitor
have something, nothing, little, etc. to show for something
hold out hope
hold out little, etc. hope
How's every little thing?
in (one's) own (little) world
in a little bit
in one's own world
it's no/small/little wonder...
know little and care less
know little and care less (about someone or something)
least little thing
leave little to the imagination
Little and often fills the purse
little better than
little bird told me
little bird told me, a
little bird told one, a
little bit
little bitty
little black book
little boy blue
little boys' room
little boys’ room
little by little
little emperor
little frog in a big pond
little girls' room
little girls’ room
little grey cells
little horror
little knowledge is a dangerous thing
little knowledge is a dangerous thing, a
little learning is a dangerous thing, a
Little Lord Fauntleroy
little love lost between (two people)
little man in the boat
little old
little person
little pinkie
little pinky
Little pitchers have big ears
little pitchers have long ears
little shaver
little steep
little stranger
Little strokes fell great oaks
Little thieves are hanged, but great ones escape
Little thieves are hanged, but great ones escape.
Little things please little minds
little things, the
little tin god
little white lie
little work never hurt anyone
little/no better than
little/nothing short of sth
little-old
littlest thing
look (a little/bit) off
make light of
make little of
make little of (someone or something)
make little of something
mighty oaks from little acorns grow
more than a little
more than a little excited, shocked, etc.
nice little earner
no love lost
not a little
not one little bit
nothing short of
O ye of little faith
of little avail
of little consequence
of little/no account
of little/no avail
Oh, ye of little faith
one little bit
patter of little feet, the
Perhaps a little later
pinkie (finger)
pinky (finger)
poor little rich girl
poor little rich girl/boy/kid
precious few
precious few/little
precious little
quite the little
quite the little (something)
rattled
see you in a (little) while
see you in a little while
set little by
set little by (someone or something)
show good faith
shuteye
spend (some amount of time) in (some place)
sure as God made little green apples
tell a (little) white lie
the little gentleman in the velvet coat
the little lady
the little matter of (something)
the little woman
there's little to choose between (two people or things)
think little of
think little of (someone or something)
to good effect
to good purpose
to good, little, etc. effect
to little avail
to little effect
to little purpose
to little/good/some/no purpose
to little/no avail
to no avail
to no purpose
to some purpose
too little too late
too little, too late
turn (someone) around (one's) (little) finger
turn (someone) round (one's) (little) finger
twist (someone) around (one's) (little) finger
twist around little finger
twist someone around your little finger
twist/wind around one's little finger, to
twist/wind/wrap somebody around/round your little finger
very little in it
wind (someone) around (one's) (little) finger
wind (someone) round (one's) (little) finger
wrap (someone) around (one's) (little) finger
wrap (someone) around (one's) little finger
wrap (someone) round (one's) (little) finger
wrapped around (one's) little finger
you can't be a little bit pregnant
you can't be half pregnant
you little imp
you little scallywag
you look a little peaked

little

lit·tle

little

lit•tle

little

small

little

little

little

little

little

LITTLE

LITTLE

What does it mean when you dream about being little?

Little

Lit·tle

little

Synonyms for little

determiner not much

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adj small

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adj young

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adj unimportant

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adj short

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adj mean

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adv hardly

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adv rarely

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noun bit

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phrase a little

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phrase little by little

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Synonyms for little

adj notably below average in amount, size, or scope

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adj not of great importance

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adj not broad or elevated in scope or understanding

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adj not yet large in size because of incomplete growth

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adv at rare intervals

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Synonyms for little

noun a small amount or duration

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adj limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

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adj (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree

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adj (of children and animals) young, immature

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adj (informal) small and of little importance

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adj (of a voice) faint

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adj low in stature

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