English Explanatory Dictionary

small

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Not large or big; insignificant; few in number.
  2. Humiliated or insignificant.
  3. Having a small penis, muscles, or other important body parts, regardless of overall body size.
  4. Young, as a child.
  5. Minuscule or lowercase, referring to written or printed letters.
  6. Evincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean.
  7. Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.
  8. Synonym of little (“of an industry or institution(s) therein: operating on a small scale, unlike larger counterparts”).
  9. Slender, gracefully slim.
  10. That is small (the manufactured size).
adv
  1. In a small fashion
  2. In or into small pieces.
  3. To a small extent.
  4. In a low tone; softly.
noun
  1. One of several common sizes to which an item may be manufactured, smaller than a medium.
  2. An item labelled or denoted as being that size.
  3. One who fits an item of that size.
  4. Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back.
verb
  1. To make little or less.
  2. To become small; to dwindle.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

/smɔl/ /smɑl/ /smɔːl/ [smoːɫ] /smaːl/ /smoːl/ en-uk-small.ogg LL-Q1860 (eng)-Back ache-small.wav en-us-small.ogg

Word forms

small smaller smallest smalls smalling smalled Smale Smales Smalles

Etymology

From Middle English smal, from Old English smæl (“small, narrow, slender”), from Proto-Germanic *smalaz (“small”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mal-, *(s)mel- (“small, mean, malicious”). Cognate with Scots smal; sma (“small”); West Frisian smel (“narrow”); Dutch smal (“narrow”); German schmal (“narrow, small”); Low German small (“narrow”); Danish, Norwegian, Swedish smal (“narrow; thin; slender”); Latin malus (“bad”); Russian ма́лый (mályj, “small”).

Synonyms

compact fun size fun-sized ickle insignificant lit'l little low modest mini petty pint-sized pocket-size slim slight small small-scale undersized wee wurly microscopic minuscule minute tiny under-endowed young lowercase S

Antonyms

large big generous ample cosmic bodacious broad commodious considerable expansive good-sized full giant grand great hefty hench immense jumbo larger than life largifical leviathan liberal long massive mega- overlarge outsized oversize oversized prodigious roomy rotund sizeable spacious stonking substantial tall vast voluminous wide astronomic behemothic big fat boxcar Brobdingnagian bulky colossal cyclopean Daniel Lambertish elephantine elephantic enormous gargantuan giantesque gigantesque gigantic gigantuan (colloquial nonstandard)) ginormous

Related words

nano- micro- mini- marginal minor -ette -ee -y size moderate

Derived words

a small matter Baker's small-toothed harvest mouse besmall be thankful for small mercies better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness big fish in a small pond big things come in small packages caps and small caps don't sweat the small stuff double small pica ensmallen extra extra extra small extra extra small extra-small extra small good things come in small packages in no small measure in no small part in small doses it's a small world Khitan small script locally small nonsmall no small feat no small thing oversmall play small programming in the small sing small small ad smallage small ale small and early small and medium-sized enterprise small animal small appliance small arm small arms smallball small ball Small Banisilan small beer small bikkies small-billed tinamou small blind small block small blue Smallbone small-bore small bowel small breasts small brown crow small business small calorie small cap small-cap small capital small capitals smallcapped small caps

Translations

Afrikaans: klein Ainu: ノカン Albanian: i vogël Northern Altai: киджиг Southern Altai: кичинек Southern Altai: кичӱ Amharic: ትንሽ Arabic: صَغِير Arabic: صغير Arabic: زغير Aragonese: chiquet Aramaic: זעורא Aramaic: ܙܥܘܪܐ Armenian: փոքր Armenian: մանր Armenian: պուճուր Aromanian: njic Eastern Arrernte: akweke Assamese: সৰু Asturian: pequeñu Aymara: jisk'a Azerbaijani: kiçik Azerbaijani: balaca Azerbaijani: xırda Azerbaijani: ufaq Bangi: -ke Bashkir: бәләкәй Bashkir: бәләкәс Bashkir: кесе Bashkir: кескәй Basque: txiki Belarusian: мале́нькі Belarusian: малы́ Bengali: ছোট Bhojpuri: छोट Breton: bihan Bulgarian: ма́лък Burmese: သေး Burmese: နုပ် Buryat: бишыхан Carpathian Rusyn: малый Catalan: petit Cebuano: gamay Central Atlas Tamazight: ⴰⵎⵥⵢⴰⵏ Chamicuro: na'yejchoma Chavacano: chico Chechen: жима Chechen: кегий Cherokee: ᎤᏍᏗ Chichewa: -ng'ono Chickasaw: ishkanno'si' Chinese Cantonese: 細 /细 Chinese: щё Chinese: 細 /细 Eastern Min Chinese: 細 /细 Hakka Chinese: 細 /细
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