small

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

adj. little, tiny, short, wee; dwarfish, undersized, stunted; lowercase; humble; minute, infinitesimal; dainty, petite; trivial, unimportant, petty, small-minded; puny, slight, weak; mean, paltry, unworthy; pygmy, Lilliputian, minikin. See littleness, humility, unimportance. Ant., large, substantial, important.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [Little in size]

Syn. little, minute, tiny, diminutive, miniature, petite; see also little 1 .

2. [Little in quantity]

Syn. scanty, short, meager; see inadequate 1 .

3. [Unimportant]

Syn. trivial, insignificant, unessential; see shallow 2 , unimportant .

4. [Ignoble]

Syn. mean, petty, base; see mean 1 .

5. [Humble]

Syn. modest, poor, pitiful; see humble 2 .

Syn.- small and little are often used interchangeably, but small is preferred with reference to something concrete of less than the usual quantity, size, amount, value, importance, etc. [ a small man, tax, audience, matter, etc. ] and little more often applies to absolute concepts [ he has his little faults ] , in expressing tenderness, indulgence, etc. [ the little dear ] , and in connoting insignificance, meanness, pettiness, etc. [ of little importance ] ; diminutive implies extreme, sometimes delicate, smallness or littleness [ the diminutive Lilliputians ] ; minute and the more informal tiny suggest that which is extremely diminutive, often to the degree that it can be discerned only by close scrutiny [ a minute , or tiny , difference ] ; miniature applies to a copy, model, representation, etc. on a very small scale [miniature model cars ] ; petite has specific application to a girl or woman who is small and trim in figure

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) a.

1. little tiny, undersized, diminutive, short, wee, teeny, miniature, *pint-sized, *pocket-sized, puny, petite, Lilliputian, dwarf, pygmy, baby, minute, microscopic.

2. slight paltry, insufficient, meager, inconsiderable, poor, picayune, modest, trivial.

3. minor insignificant, trivial, light, trifling, unimportant, inconsequential, bush-league, *rinky-dink.

4. small-minded mean, narrow-minded, petty, selfish, cheap, ignoble, vindictive, prejudiced, grudging.

ANT.: 1. large, huge, gigantic, towering. 2. generous, rich, lavish, considerable. 3. important, major, big, consequential. 4. generous, liberal-minded, noble

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective 1. Notably below average in amount, size, or scope: bantam, little, petite, smallish. See BIG. 2. Contemptibly unimportant: inconsiderable, negligible, niggling, nugatory, paltry, petty, picayune, piddling, small-minded, trifling. Slang: measly. Idiom: of no account. See IMPORTANT. 3. Below another in standing or importance: inferior, junior, lesser, low, lower2, minor, minor-league, petty, secondary, subaltern, subordinate, under. Informal: smalltime. See OVER. 4. Not yet large in size because of incomplete growth: little. See YOUTH. 5. Not broad or elevated in scope or understanding: limited, little, narrow, narrow-minded, petty, small-minded. See LIMITED, WIDE. 6. Not irritating, strident, or loud: hushed, low, low-key, low-keyed, quiet, soft, subdued, whispery. See SOUNDS.