-less /-les or -lis/

Free from or lacking, as in guiltless or godless

less /les/

1. (used as compar of little) smaller (not now used of material things)
2. In smaller quantity (not number)
3. Minor
4. Fewer (archaic and informal)
5. Inferior, lower in estimation
6. Younger
7. More (Shakespeare, with an expressed or implied negative)

1. Not so much
2. In a lower degree

A smaller portion or quantity

Unless (often written 'less)

1. Without
2. With diminution of, minus

much less

Not to mention

no less (usu ironically)

A phrase used to express admiration

nothing less than

1. Quite as much as
2. Tantamount to
3. Formerly, anything rather than

little /litˈl/

1. Small in size, extent, quantity or significance
2. Petty
3. Small-minded
4. Young
5. Resembling or reminiscent of something else, but on a small or smaller scale

1. That which is small in quantity or extent
2. A small quantity
3. A small thing
4. Not much

1. In a small quantity or degree
2. Not much
3. Not at all

littˈleness noun

littˈlie noun (Aust and NZ)

A small child

littˈling (Scot littˈlin or littˈleane) noun

(OE lȳtling) a child

Little Bear or (N American) Little Dipper noun

Ursa Minor

littˈle-ease noun (historical)

1. A confined space in which a prisoner can neither sit, stand nor lie
2. The pillory
3. The stocks

little end noun

In an internal-combustion engine, the smaller end of the connecting rod

Littˈle-endˈian noun

One of the Lilliputian party who opposed the Big-endians, maintaining that boiled eggs should be cracked at the little end (from Swift's Gulliver's Travels)

little finger noun

The fifth and smallest digit of the hand

little go see great go under go¹

little green men plural noun

A type of men imagined as originating in parts of the universe other than our earth

little magazine noun

A small highbrow magazine

little man noun

A man of no importance, an underdog

little Mary noun (JM Barrie)

The stomach

little office noun

A short service of psalms, hymns, collects, etc

little owl noun

A small owl (Athene noctua), native to Europe, Asia and Africa

little people plural noun

1. The fairies, or other race of small supernatural beings
2. A traditional race of pygmies (archaic)

Little Russian noun (archaic)

Ukrainian

little theatre noun

A small theatre, usu one in which experimental plays, and other plays not likely to be a great commercial success, are produced

little toe see under toe

little woman noun (facetious, mainly old)

One's wife

littˈleworth adjective (archaic)

Worthless

in little

On a small scale

little by little or (archaic) by little and little

By degrees

make little of

1. To treat as of little consequence, to belittle
2. To comprehend only slightly

not a little

Very

twist, wind or wrap someone round one's little finger see under finger

• unappalled
• unapparel
• unapparelled
• unapparelling
• unwares
• unwarie
• unwarier
• unwariest
• unwarily
• unwariness
• unwarinesses
• unwarlike
• unwarmed
• unwarned
• unwarped
• unwarrantable
• unwarrantably
• unwarranted
• unwarrantedly
• unwary
• unwashed
• unwashen
• unwasted
• unwasting
• unwatchable