little

I. lit‧tle¹ S1 W1 /ˈlɪtl/ BrE AmE adjective
[Language: Old English; Origin: lytel]
1. SIZE [usually before noun] small in size:
a little house
a cake decorated with little flowers
She was cutting the meat up into little bits.
little tiny/tiny little spoken (=extremely small)
a little tiny puppy
little bitty American English spoken (=extremely small)
a little something informal (=a small present, or a small amount of food)
I’d like to buy him a little something to thank him.
2. SOMETHING YOU LIKE OR DISLIKE [only before noun] used between an adjective and a noun to emphasize that you like or dislike something or someone, although they are not important, impressive etc:
It could be a nice little business.
a useful little gadget
It was another of her silly little jokes.
a boring little man
poor little thing (=used to show sympathy)
The poor little thing had hurt its wing.
3. a little bit
a) a small amount of something
a little bit of
With a little bit of luck we should finish by five o'clock.
I’m going to give you a little bit of advice.
Let me tell you a little bit about myself.
b) slightly or to a small degree:
I was a little bit disappointed.
4. TIME/DISTANCE [only before noun] short in time or distance:
You could have a little sleep in the car.
We walked a little way along this path.
He arrived a little while ago.
5. YOUNG little children are young:
We didn’t have toys like this when I was little.
little boy/girl
two little boys playing in the street
sb’s little boy/girl (=someone’s son or daughter who is still a child)
Mum, I’m 17 – I’m not your little girl any longer.
sb’s little brother/sister (=a younger brother or sister who is still a child)
Her little brother and sister were fighting again.
6. SLIGHT [only before noun] done in a way that is not very noticeable:
a little smile
Nicolo gave a little nod of his head.
7. UNIMPORTANT [only before noun]
a) not important:
She gets very angry over little things.
There isn’t time to discuss every little detail.
b) not important – used when you really think that something is important:
There’s just that little matter of the £5,000 you owe me.
8. (just) that little bit better/easier etc better, easier etc by a small amount that will have an important effect:
Working fewer hours will make life just that little bit easier for me.
9. the little woman old-fashioned someone’s wife – often used humorously but now considered offensive by many women
⇨ a little bird told me at bird(4)
• • •
GRAMMAR
You can say smaller or smallest, but 'littler' and 'littlest' are not often used:
▪ Her feet are even smaller (NOT littler/more little) than mine.
You can use words like 'quite', 'very', and 'too' in front of small, but do not use them with little:
▪ a very small car (NOT a very little car)

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

little

lit·tle [little littler littlest] adjective, determiner, pronoun, adverb [ˈlɪtl] [ˈlɪtl]

adjective usually before noun The forms littler /[ˈlɪtlə(r)] / and littlest /[ˈlɪtlɪst] / are rare. It is more common to use smaller and smallest.
1. not big; small; smaller than others
• a little house
• a little group of tourists
• a little old lady
• the classic little black dress
• ‘Which do you want?’ ‘I'll take the little one.’
• She gave a little laugh.
• (BrE) We should manage, with a little bit of luck.

• Here's a little something (= a small present) for your birthday.

2. used after an adjective to show affection or dislike, especially in a patronizing way (= one that suggests that you think you are better than sb)
• The poor little thing! It's lost its mother.
• What a nasty little man!
• She's a good little worker.

• He'd become quite the little gentleman.

3. young
• a little boy/girl
• my little brother/sister (= younger brother/sister)

• I lived in America when I was little.

4. (of distance or time) short
• A little while later the phone rang.

• Shall we walk a little way?

5. not important; not serious
• I can't remember every little detail.
• You soon get used to the little difficulties.
more at great/tall oaks from little acorns grow at oak, (it's) no/little/small wonder (that)… at wonder _n.
Word Origin:
Old English lȳtel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch luttel, German dialect lützel.
Thesaurus:
little adj.
1. usually before noun (not usually used in the comparative or superlative)
• What a dear little baby!
small • • tiny • • miniature • • compact • • minute • • microscopic •
Opp: big, Opp: large
a little/small/tiny/miniature house/town/room
a little/small/tiny/minute/microscopic detail
a little/small/tiny baby/child
Little or small? Small is the most usual opposite of big or large. Little is often used to show how you feel about sb/sth, especially after other adjectives such as ugly, nice or cute.
2. usually before noun (especially spoken)
• What a fuss over one little mistake!
small • • slight • • minimal • • marginal • • minor • |usually disapproving trivial • • petty •
Opp: big, Opp: great
a little/small/slight/minimal/marginal change/improvement
a little/small/slight/trivial error/mistake/problem
a little/small/slight defect/accident
Example Bank:
• He was a nasty little man.
• He's still very little and doesn't understand yet.
• It was a lovely little village before the war.
• Poor little thing! It's broken its wing.
• The room was full of funny little animals.
• A little boy was standing on the doorstep.
• All those problems because of one little mistake!
• Here's a little something for your birthday.
• I can't remember every little detail.
• I give thanks for every little thing.
• I was a little bit afraid of him.
• It's just one of life's little mysteries.
• She wore a version of the classic little black dress.
• The system has some odd little quirks.
• They lived in a little house just down the valley.
• We had a little adventure yesterday.
• What a cute little baby!
• What a horrible little man!
• You wouldn't expect a sweet little old lady to react like that.
• You'll feel a little sting.
• You'll soon get used to these little difficulties.
• a little error/mistake/defect/problem/argument/accident/incident/adventure/mystery/quirk/secret
Idioms: little bird told me ▪ little by little

Derived Word: littleness

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

little / ˈlɪt.l̩ / / ˈlɪt̬- / adjective (SMALL)

A1 small in size or amount:

It came in a little box.

a little dog/nose/room

A little old man came into the shop.

He gave a little smile.

It'll only take a little while to clear up the kitchen.

a little something a small amount of food or drink:

I always like to have a little something around eleven o'clock in the morning.

a present that is not of great value:

I want to buy a little something to give to Val when I visit her in hospital.

little / ˈlɪt.l̩ / / ˈlɪt̬- / adjective (YOUNG)

A1 young:

When you were little your hair was really curly.

She was my little (= younger) sister and I looked after her.

Her little boy (= her young son) isn't well.

little / ˈlɪt.l̩ / / ˈlɪt̬- / adjective [ before noun ] (EMPHASIZE)

B2 used to emphasize an opinion that is being given about something or someone:

That was a nice little suit she was wearing.

It's not a bad little restaurant, this, is it?

He's a nasty little man.

little / ˈlɪt.l̩ / / ˈlɪt̬- / adjective [ before noun ] (UNIMPORTANT)

B1 not very important or serious:

I had a little problem with my car, but it's been fixed now.

It's often the little things that count the most.

Can I have a little word (= a short discussion about something not very important) with you?

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

little

I [lɪ̱t(ə)l]DETERMINER, QUANTIFIER, AND ADVERB USES
♦
1) DET: DET n-uncount You use little to indicate that there is only a very small amount of something. You can use `so', `too', and `very' in front of little.
  I had little money and little free time...
  I find that I need very little sleep these days...
  There is little doubt that a diet high in fibre is more satisfying...
  So far little progress has been made towards ending the fighting...
  The pudding is quick and easy and needs little attention once in the oven.
  Ant:
  much
QUANT: QUANT of def-n
Little is also a quantifier. Little of the existing housing is of good enough quality... They claim that little of the $16.5 million dollars in aid sent by the US government has reached them.
PRON
Little is also a pronoun. He ate little, and drank less... In general, employers do little to help the single working mother... Little is known about his childhood.
2) ADV-GRADED: ADV with v Little means not very often or to only a small extent.
  On their way back to Marseille they spoke very little...
  Only Africa is at present little affected by hard drugs.
3) DET: DET n-uncount A little of something is a small amount of it, but not very much. You can also say a very little.
  Mrs Caan needs a little help getting her groceries home...
  A little food would do us all some good.
  ...a little light reading...
  I shall be only a very little time.
  Ant:
  a lot
PRON
Little is also a pronoun. They get paid for it. Not much. Just a little.
QUANT: QUANT of def-n-uncount/sing
Little is also a quantifier. Pour a little of the sauce over the chicken... I'm sure she won't mind sparing us a little of her time.
4) ADV-GRADED: ADV after v If you do something a little, you do it for a short time.
  He walked a little by himself in the garden.
5) ADV-GRADED: ADV after v, ADV adj/adv A little or a little bit means to a small extent or degree.
  He complained a little of a nagging pain between his shoulder blades...
  He was a little bit afraid of his father's reaction...
  If you have to drive when you are tired, go a little more slowly than you would normally...
  He wanted to have someone to whom he could talk a little about himself.
6) PHRASE: PHR with cl If something happens little by little, it happens very gradually.
  In the beginning he had felt well, but little by little he was becoming weaker...
  I would have to learn, little by little, to exist alone.
  Syn:
  graduallyII [lɪ̱t(ə)l]ADJECTIVE USES
♦
littler, littlest
(The comparative littler and the superlative littlest are sometimes used in spoken English for meanings 1, 3, and 4, but otherwise the comparative and superlative forms of the adjective little are not used.)
1) ADJ-GRADED: usu ADJ n Little things are small in size. Little is slightly more informal than small.
  We sat around a little table, eating and drinking wine.
  ...the little group of art students.
  Syn:
  small
  Ant:
  big
2) ADJ: ADJ n You use little to indicate that someone or something is small, in a pleasant and attractive way.
  She's got the nicest little house not far from the library.
  ...a little old lady...
  James usually drives a little hatchback.
3) ADJ-GRADED A little child is young.
  I have a little boy of 8...
  When I was little I was very hyper-active.
4) ADJ: ADJ n Your little sister or brother is younger than you are.
  Whenever Daniel's little sister was asked to do something she always had a naughty reply.
  Syn:
  younger
  Ant:
  big
5) ADJ-GRADED: ADJ n A little distance, period of time, or event is short in length.
  Just go down the road a little way, turn left, and cross the bridge...
  Why don't we just wait a little while and see what happens...
  I've been wanting to have a little talk with you.
  Ant:
  long
6) ADJ-GRADED: ADJ n A little sound or gesture is quick.
  I had a little laugh to myself...
  She stood up quickly, giving a little cry of astonishment...
  He turned with a little nod and I watched him walk away.
  Ant:
  big
7) ADJ: ADJ n You use little to indicate that something is not serious or important.
  ...irritating little habits...
  Harry found himself getting angry over little things that had never bothered him before.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

¹lit·tle /ˈlɪtl̩/ adj less /ˈlɛs/ or less·er /ˈlɛsɚ/ also lit·tler /ˈlɪtl̩ɚ/; least /ˈliːst/ also lit·tlest /ˈlɪtl̩əst/
1 a : small in size
• She has little feet.
• a little island/airplane
• a little business
• Our school is little.
• a tiny little fish
• This room is littler [=(more commonly) smaller] than that one.
b : not tall : short
• a little man
• a littler [=(more commonly) smaller, shorter] man
c : small in amount
• I have very little money, so I can't lend you any.
• I have less money than I did before.
• I got very little sleep last night.
• There's little hope of a rescue now.
• You have little choice but to pay attention.
• The new version bears little resemblance to the original.
• These programs have very/precious little chance of succeeding.
• The help he offered us was too little, too late. [=it was not as much help as we needed and it was offered too late to be helpful]
• There has been little if any improvement. [=there has been almost no improvement]
• These trinkets have little or no value.
• There was no little sadness in his voice. [=there was a lot of sadness in his voice]
d : not having many things or people included
• We're having a little party this weekend.
• a little group of people
• a little village
• her little hometown
2 : young or younger
• I loved swimming when I was little.
• a little boy/girl
• He's very proud of his little boy/girl. [=of his young son/daughter]
• How's your little one? [=your young(est) son or daughter]
• my little brother/sister [=my brother/sister who is younger than I am]
3 always used before a noun : not lasting for a long time
• I have to take a little break.
• We sat down for a little chat.
• We talked for a little while.
4 always used before a noun : not very important
• There are a few little problems that still have to be dealt with.
• He memorized every little detail of the scene.
- sometimes used in an ironic way to describe something important
• There's just one little problem we haven't discussed: the company is going bankrupt!
• I need to talk to you about the little matter of the money you owe me.
5 always used before a noun : not easily seen, heard, etc.
• He gave her a little smile.
• She made a little wave with her hand.
• She spoke in a quiet little voice.
6 always used before a noun
a
- used to refer to someone or something in an approving or friendly way
• That's a nice little car you've got there.
• You poor little thing.
• Bless your little heart.
b
- used to refer to someone or something in a disapproving or critical way
• He's a little jerk.
• It was a mean little joke.
• She has a dirty little secret.
7 always used before a noun : not open to new ideas
• people with little [=small, narrow] minds
- lit·tle·ness /ˈlɪtl̩nəs/ noun [noncount]
• the littleness of the room
• the littleness of their minds