little

The word “little” means small in size. In plain terms, small in size, amount, or importance.

“Little” is pronounced LIH-tl (/ˈlɪ.tl̩/ in IPA).

Here is “little” used in a sentence: “They live in a little cottage by the lake.”

The opposite of “little” — its antonyms — are big, old and much.

Depending on how it is used, “little” can be an adjective, a det, an adverb and a noun.

The word “little” comes from Old English. From Old English lȳtel, from a Proto-Germanic root related to "to bow down" or "to bend low" — the same root that gives us the word lout.

“Little” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Little” has 5 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: small in size.

Both mean not large, and they often overlap. 'Small' is the neutral word for size — 'a small box.' 'Little' carries the same idea but often adds warmth or emotion — 'a little cottage,' 'the poor little thing.' 'Small' states a plain fact; 'little' frequently hints at affection or charm.

'Little' describes an amount of something uncountable — 'little water,' 'little time.' 'Few' describes a number of countable things — 'few coins,' 'few people.' Both suggest not much, but 'little' goes with mass nouns and 'few' with plural countable nouns. Mixing them up is a very common error.

In the sense of size, the opposite is 'big' or 'large.' A little dog is the reverse of a big dog. When 'little' means a small amount, its opposite is 'much' or 'a lot.' The right antonym depends on whether you mean physical size or quantity.