lit·tle·ness noun (-es) Etymology: Middle English litelnesse, from Old English lȳtelnes, from lȳtel little + -nes -ness 1.: the quality or state of being little < the littleness of the world in the vast emptiness of space > 2.: an act marked by littleness; especially: a mean or petty act < a life of envy, filled with littlenesses >