| 释义 |
little by 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.Thesaurus| Adv. | 1. | little by little - a little bit at a time; "the research structure has developed piecemeal"bit by bit, in stages, piecemeal | | 2. | little by little - by a short distance; "they moved it by inches"by inches, by small degrees |
Translationslittle (ˈlitl) adjective1. small in size. He is only a little boy; when she was little (= a child). 小的 小的2. small in amount; not much. He has little knowledge of the difficulties involved. 一點點 一点点3. not important. I did not expect her to make a fuss about such a little thing. 瑣碎的 琐碎的 pronoun (only) a small amount. He knows little of the real world. 一點點 一些 adverb1. not much. I go out little nowadays. 鮮少 少2. only to a small degree. a little-known fact. 稍微 稍许3. not at all. He little knows how ill he is. 毫不 毫不a little1. a short time or distance. Move a little to the right! 一點(時間或距離) 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 少量3. slightly. She was a little frightened. 稍許 稍许little by little gradually. Little by little we began to get to know him. 逐漸地 逐渐地make little of1. to treat as unimportant etc. He made little of his injuries. 輕忽 不重视2. not to be able to understand. I could make little of his instructions. 無法瞭解 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 by little
little by littleIn small increments over time; by gradual degrees. Little by little, we managed to scrape together enough savings for a deposit on a house. The project is moving ahead little by little.See also: by, littlelittle by littlegradually, a little bit at a time. I earned enough money, little by little, to buy a car. Jimmy crawled, little by little, until he reached the door.See also: by, littleˌlittle by ˈlittle slowly; gradually: Her English is improving little by little. ♢ Little by little she began to feel better.See also: by, little little by little By small degrees or increments; gradually.See also: by, littleEncyclopediaSeeLITTLEMedicalSeeLittlelittle by little
Synonyms for little by littleadv a little bit at a timeSynonyms- bit by bit
- in stages
- piecemeal
adv by a short distanceSynonyms- by inches
- by small degrees
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