slight
UK [slɑjt] · US [sl̥ɐɪt] adjective, verb, noun, proper noun
Forms slighter slightest slights slighting slighted
- adjective Minor; small in amount
- adjective Gentle or weak, not aggressive or powerful. “give it a slight kick”
- adjective Not thorough; superficial. “make a slight examination”
- adjective Trifling; unimportant; insignificant. “we made a slight mistake”
- adjective (archaic or rare) Not far away in space or time. “in the slight future”
- adjective Of slender build. “a slight but graceful woman”
- adjective (regional) Even, smooth or level. “A slight stone”
- adjective (especially said of the sea) Still; with little or no movement on the surface. “The sea was slight and calm”
- verb (transitive) To treat as unimportant or not worthy of attention; to make light of.
- verb (transitive) To give lesser weight or importance to.
- verb (transitive) To treat (someone or something) with disdain or neglect, usually out of prejudice, hatred, or jealousy; to ignore disrespectfully; to skimp on one's duties toward.
- verb (intransitive) To act negligently or carelessly.
- verb (transitive, military, of a fortification) To render no longer defensible by full or partial demolition.
- verb (obsolete, transitive) To make even or level.
- verb (transitive) To throw heedlessly.
- noun The act of ignoring or snubbing; a deliberate act of neglect or discourtesy.
- noun (obsolete) Sleight.
- proper noun A surname from Middle English.
Synonyms
ignorable meaningless negligible tiny base contemptible floccinaucinihilipilificatious foolish for the birds futile frivolous idle immaterial inconsequential inconsiderable indifferent insignificant like a fart in a windstorm meager mean rebuff cold-shoulder little flimsy fragile tenuous thin slender slim svelte
Antonyms
respect value esteem honor idolize lay store by look up to prize hallow put store by put store in rate
Etymology
From Middle English slight (“bad, of poor quality, unimportant, trivial, slender, slim, smooth, level”), from Old English sliht (“smooth, level”), from Proto-Germanic *slihtaz (“slippery, flat, level, plain”), related to English slick. Cognate with Scots slicht (“bad, of poor quality”), West Frisian sljocht (“smooth, level, plain, simple”), Dutch slecht (“bad”), Low German slecht (“bad”), German schlecht (“bad”) and schlicht (“plain, artless, natural”), Danish slet (“bad, evil, poor, nasty, wrong”), Swedish slät (“smooth”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk slett (“even”), Icelandic sléttur (“even, smooth, level”).
Scottish surname from Middle English slight (“smooth; slim, slender, skinny”), a nickname for a slim or skinny person.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Sleight. Spenser.
- verb To overthrow; to demolish. [Obs.] Clarendon.
- verb To make even or level. [Obs.] Hexham.
- adjective Not decidedly marked; not forcible; inconsiderable; unimportant; insignificant; not severe; weak; gentle; --applied in a great variety of circumstances; as, a slight (i. e., feeble) effort; a slight (i. e., perishable) structure; a slight (i. e., not deep) impression; a slight (i. e., not convincing) argument; a slight (i. e., not thorough) examination; slight (i. e., not severe) pain, and the like. "At one slight bound." Milton.
Etymology [Cf. D. slechten to level, to demolish.]
Etymology [OE. sli, sleght, probably from OD. slicht, slecht, simple, plain, D. slecht; akin to OFries. sliucht, G. schlecht, schlicht, OHG. sleht smooth, simple, Icel. sl smooth, Sw. slät, Goth. slaíhts; or uncertain origin.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “slight”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details