little
adjective
uk/ˈlɪt.əl/us/ˈlɪt̬.əl/littleadjective(SMALL)
A1
smallinsizeoramount:
小的，少的It came in a littlebox.它是装在一个小盒子里送来的。
a littledog/nose/room小狗／鼻子／房间
A littleoldman came into theroom.一个小老头走进了房间。
He gave a littlesmile.他微微笑了笑。
It'll only take a little while toclearup thekitchen.用不了多少时间就能把厨房收拾好。
Synonyms
diminutive
dinkyinformal
exiguousformal
infinitesimalformal
itsy-bitsyhumorous
microscopicinformalhumorous
midget
mini-
miniature
minute
small(LITTLE)
teensyinformal
teenyinformal
weeScottish Englishorinformal
weenyUKinformal
not great in size, amount, etc.
- smallI live in a small town.
- littleShe's a good little girl.
- a littleI just want a little ice cream.
- a little (bit)I was a little bit upset that she ate the last piece of cake.
- tinyHis body was covered in tiny red spots.
a little something
asmallamountoffoodordrink:
少量，一点（饮食）I always like to have a little something around eleven o'clock in themorning.我总喜欢在上午11点左右吃点东西。
apresentthat is not ofgreatvalue:
小礼物Iwanttobuya little something to give to Val when Ivisither inhospital.我去医院看瓦尔的时候想给她买个小礼物。
- The dog'snamewasengravedon a littlemetaldiscattachedtoitscollar.
- Wetriedtoarrangeaceremonywith as littlefussaspossible.
- Hyperactivechildrenoften havepoorconcentrationandrequirevery littlesleep.
- Several littleboatsescortedthesailingshipinto theharbour.
- Youturnthis littleknobtoadjustthevolume.
Small
- baby
- bijou
- bite-sized
- compactly
- compactness
- dwarf
- elfin
- midget
- no/not enough room to swing a catidiom
- on the large, small, etc. sideidiom
- pint-sized
- pocket handkerchief
- pocket-sized
- sampler
- scrubby
- shoe box
- shrunken
- skimpy
- slightness
- wee
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Small in number and quantity
Meals & parts of meals
Presents and gifts
littleadjective(YOUNG)
A1
young:
幼小的，年幼的When you were littleyourhairwas reallycurly.你小的时候头发卷得很厉害。
She was my little(=younger)sisterand I tookcareof her.她是我妹妹，我负责照顾她。
Her littleboy(= heryoungson)isn't well.她的小儿子身体有些不适。
- One littlegirlwasclingingonto acuddlytoy.
- Itbecameclearthat he wasn'tdevelopinglike all the other littleboys.
- She's alwaysfussingover thatsonof hers as if he were a littleboy.
- Emily is Sophie's littlesister.
- Ilivedhere when I was little.
Describing people who are young
- adolescent
- atyourmother's kneeidiom
- be knee-high to a grasshopperidiom
- flower
- fresh-faced
- freshness
- knee-high
- mother
- prepubescent
- slip
- small
- teen
- tender
- time
- ya
- yoof
- young
- young adult
- youthful
- youthfully
littleadjective(EMPHASIZE)
B2[before noun]
used toemphasizeanopinionthat is being given about something or someone:
（用于强调对某人或某物的意见）真，确实That was anicelittlesuitshe waswearing.她穿的那身套装真的很漂亮。
It's not abadlittlerestaurant, is it?这家饭馆确实不错，是不是？
He's anastylittle man.他可真是个讨厌的家伙。
- I'm notinterestedin alltheirsillylittlelikesanddislikes.
- You toldMrsCooper that it was me whotippedthepaintover, didn't you - younastylittlesneak!
- I had anicelittlesnoozein the back of thecar.
- All youatewas atiddlylittlepieceofcake.
- You littleliar! Youknowthat's nottrue!
Linguistics: very & extreme
- abjectly
- abundantly
- beyond
- biblical
- blankly
- completely
- desperately
- extreme
- highly
- rank
- raving
- serious
- smack
- spectacularly
- such
- terrible
- terribly
- unutterably
- veritably
- wonderfully
littleadjective(UNIMPORTANT)
B1[before noun]
not veryimportantorserious:
不太重要的，不很严重的；微小的，轻微的I had a littleproblemwith mycar, but it's beenfixednow.我的车有点小毛病，不过现在已经修好了。
It's often the little things thatcountthe most.常常是一些微不足道的东西发挥的作用最大。
Can I have a little word(= ashortdiscussionabout something not veryimportant)with you?我能和你聊几句吗？
Of little or less importance
- be in/undersomeone'sshadowidiom
- be neither here nor thereidiom
- be no big dealidiom
- biggie
- derisory
- lowly
- meaningless
- meaninglessly
- meaninglessness
- mere
- merely
- petty
- piddling
- piffling
- play second fiddleidiom
- poxy
- rinky-dink
- subordinate
- trifling
- valueless
Grammar
Little,a little,few,a few
(A) little and (a) few are quantifiers meaning ‘some’. Little and few have negative meanings. We use them to mean ‘not as much as may be expected or wished for’.…A little, a fewwith a noun
We use a little with singular uncountable nouns. We use a few with plural countable nouns:…Little, fewwith a noun
We use little with uncountable nouns. We use few with plural countable nouns. They are used in formal contexts:…(A) little, (a) fewwithout a noun
We can use (a) little and (a) few as pronouns. We can use them to substitute for a noun when it is obvious from the context:…(A) little of,(a) few of
We use of with (a) little and (a) few when they come before articles (a/an, the), demonstratives (this, that), possessives (my, your) or pronouns (him, them):…A little: adverb
We use a little as an adverb of degree. It is more formal than a bit:…A littlewith adjectives, determiners, adverbs
We use a little before adjectives and adverbs to modify them. It is more formal than a bit:…Little: adjective
We use little as an adjective to mean ‘small’:…Idioms
a little bird told me
make little ofsomething
little
determiner
uk/ˈlɪt.əl/us/ˈlɪt̬.əl/littledeterminer(NOT ENOUGH)
B1
not much or enough:
不多的，不足的，很少的Thereseemslittlehopeof aceasefire.看来停火的希望很渺茫了。
They have very littlemoney.他们手头钱很少。
There's so littlechoice.可选择的余地太小了。
- The newbuildinghas littleaestheticvalue.
- There's very littlecommunicationbetweenmotheranddaughter.
- Thehutaffordedlittleprotectionfrom theelements.
- Themoneywas of littleconsequencetoTony.
- Too littleexerciseis acontributoryfactorinheartdisease.
Scarce, inadequate and not enough
- be at a premiumidiom
- be thin on the groundidiom
- dearth
- deficiency
- deficient
- gold dust
- lacking
- like gold dustidiom
- long onsomethingand short onsomethingidiom
- lousy
- meagre
- measly
- scarcity
- scrubby
- shortage
- shortfall
- shortness
- shy
- skinny
- thin
littledeterminer(SMALL AMOUNT)
a little
B1
asmallamountof something:
一点Thissauceneedsa littlesalt.这种酱汁需要加点盐。
With a littletrainingshe could do very well.只要稍加培训她就能做得很好。
Can I give you a littleadvice?我可以给你提一点建议吗？
not great in size, amount, etc.
- smallI live in a small town.
- littleShe's a good little girl.
- a littleI just want a little ice cream.
- a little (bit)I was a little bit upset that she ate the last piece of cake.
- tinyHis body was covered in tiny red spots.
Words meaning small pieces and amounts
- by a noseidiom
- clipping
- crumb
- dab
- dollop
- fraction
- grain
- hint
- oddments
- paring
- peewee
- pinch
- potsherd
- skinny
- spark
- swatch
- tad
- thimbleful
- tidbit
- tiddler
Grammar
Little,a little,few,a few
(A) little and (a) few are quantifiers meaning ‘some’. Little and few have negative meanings. We use them to mean ‘not as much as may be expected or wished for’.…A little, a fewwith a noun
We use a little with singular uncountable nouns. We use a few with plural countable nouns:…Little, fewwith a noun
We use little with uncountable nouns. We use few with plural countable nouns. They are used in formal contexts:…(A) little, (a) fewwithout a noun
We can use (a) little and (a) few as pronouns. We can use them to substitute for a noun when it is obvious from the context:…(A) little of,(a) few of
We use of with (a) little and (a) few when they come before articles (a/an, the), demonstratives (this, that), possessives (my, your) or pronouns (him, them):…A little: adverb
We use a little as an adverb of degree. It is more formal than a bit:…A littlewith adjectives, determiners, adverbs
We use a little before adjectives and adverbs to modify them. It is more formal than a bit:…Little: adjective
We use little as an adjective to mean ‘small’:…little
pronoun,noun
uk/ˈlɪt.əl/us/ˈlɪt̬.əl/littlepronoun,noun(SMALL AMOUNT)
B1[S]
asmallamount:
少量，少许，一点I could onlyheara little of what they were saying.他们说的话我只能听到一点。
He does as little aspossibleatwork.他上班时能偷懒就偷懒。
There's not muchflourleftbut you'rewelcometo the/what little there is.虽然面粉剩得不多了，但你可以随便拿。
- Weatea little of thebread.
- He gave us a little of hismoney.
- I alreadyknewa little of what he had to say.
- Sheeatsas little as she can.
- You canseewhat little I have.
Words meaning small pieces and amounts
- by a noseidiom
- clipping
- crumb
- dab
- dollop
- fraction
- grain
- hint
- oddments
- paring
- peewee
- pinch
- potsherd
- skinny
- spark
- swatch
- tad
- thimbleful
- tidbit
- tiddler
littlepronoun,noun(NOT ENOUGH)
B1
anamountthat is not much or not enough:
不多的，不足的，很少的We didverylittle onSunday.星期天我们没有做太多事情。
Very little of what he said made anysenseto me.他说的话我几乎一点儿都不明白。
Unfortunately, littleofthe artist'sworkhassurvived.不幸的是，这位画家的作品几乎无一幸存。
Thegovernmenthasdonelittle or nothing tohelpthepoorestpeoplein thiscountry.政府几乎没有采取任何举措来帮助国内最贫穷的人们。
The little we doknowabout thepeoplewholivedheresuggeststhey had a verysophisticatedsociety.我们对那些曾经在这里生活过的人们知之甚少，但可以确定的是他们当时的社会已经相当成熟。
- Ispentmost of mymoneyin the firstweekandconsequentlyhad very little toeatby the end of theholiday.
- Very little of hisartappealsto me.
- Little of what she saidseemedrelevant.
- They have done little toimprovetheirsituation.
- We can do very little tohelpthem.
Scarce, inadequate and not enough
- be at a premiumidiom
- be thin on the groundidiom
- dearth
- deficiency
- deficient
- gold dust
- lacking
- like gold dustidiom
- long onsomethingand short onsomethingidiom
- lousy
- meagre
- measly
- scarcity
- scrubby
- shortage
- shortfall
- shortness
- shy
- skinny
- thin
Grammar
Little,a little,few,a few
(A) little and (a) few are quantifiers meaning ‘some’. Little and few have negative meanings. We use them to mean ‘not as much as may be expected or wished for’.…A little, a fewwith a noun
We use a little with singular uncountable nouns. We use a few with plural countable nouns:…Little, fewwith a noun
We use little with uncountable nouns. We use few with plural countable nouns. They are used in formal contexts:…(A) little, (a) fewwithout a noun
We can use (a) little and (a) few as pronouns. We can use them to substitute for a noun when it is obvious from the context:…(A) little of,(a) few of
We use of with (a) little and (a) few when they come before articles (a/an, the), demonstratives (this, that), possessives (my, your) or pronouns (him, them):…A little: adverb
We use a little as an adverb of degree. It is more formal than a bit:…A littlewith adjectives, determiners, adverbs
We use a little before adjectives and adverbs to modify them. It is more formal than a bit:…Little: adjective
We use little as an adjective to mean ‘small’:…little
adverb
uk/ˈlɪt.əl/us/ˈlɪt̬.əl/littleadverb(SMALL AMOUNT)
a little (bit)
A2
slightly:
稍微地，稍稍地I was a littlebitworriedby what she said.她的话让我有点担心。
We'llwaita littlelongerand then I'llphonethem.我们再稍微等一等，还不来的话我会给他们打电话的。
There's only a littlefurtherto go.再走一会就到了。
not great in size, amount, etc.
- smallI live in a small town.
- littleShe's a good little girl.
- a littleI just want a little ice cream.
- a little (bit)I was a little bit upset that she ate the last piece of cake.
- tinyHis body was covered in tiny red spots.
- The ice-cream was a littlebitsweetfor me.
- Could youspeaka littlelouder,please?
- I'mquitetiredbut I cancertainlywalka littlefurther.
- She'srecoveringwell from heroperation, but she's still a littleshakyon herfeet.
- Well, you couldtrytolooka little moreenthusiastic!
little by little
B2
slowlyorgradually:
一点一点地，逐渐地，渐渐地Little by little she came tounderstandwhy he hadbehavedthe way he did.渐渐地她明白了他为什么会那么做。
slowly
- slowlyI got out of bed and walked slowly to the door.
- slowGo slower! I can't keep up.
- at a slow paceThey are easy hikes, done at a slow pace.
- at a slow speedYou only have to hit a pedestrian at a slow speed to kill them.
- at slow rateThe economy grew at a slower rate during the second half of the year.
Some and quite
- (a) sort ofidiom
- a piece/slice/share of the pieidiom
- bit
- certain
- degree
- faintly
- fairly
- ha'porth
- halfway
- pie
- pretty
- quite
- rather
- remotely
- several
- slightly
- sort
- to a/some degreeidiom
- trifle
- vaguely
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Slow and moving slowly
littleadverb(NOT MUCH)
C1
not much:
不多，很少Shesleptvery little thatnight.她那天晚上睡得很少。
a little-knownfact鲜为人知的事实
Littledid heknowwhatlayinstorefor him.他几乎一点儿也不知道等待他的将会是什么。
little more/better
C2
not much more orbetter:
多／好不了多少Thewinethey gave us was littlebetterthanvinegar.他们给我们的葡萄酒比醋好不了多少。
Scarce, inadequate and not enough
- be at a premiumidiom
- be thin on the groundidiom
- dearth
- deficiency
- deficient
- gold dust
- lacking
- like gold dustidiom
- long onsomethingand short onsomethingidiom
- lousy
- meagre
- measly
- scarcity
- scrubby
- shortage
- shortfall
- shortness
- shy
- skinny
- thin
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Merely and barely
Grammar
Little,a little,few,a few
(A) little and (a) few are quantifiers meaning ‘some’. Little and few have negative meanings. We use them to mean ‘not as much as may be expected or wished for’.…A little, a fewwith a noun
We use a little with singular uncountable nouns. We use a few with plural countable nouns:…Little, fewwith a noun
We use little with uncountable nouns. We use few with plural countable nouns. They are used in formal contexts:…(A) little, (a) fewwithout a noun
We can use (a) little and (a) few as pronouns. We can use them to substitute for a noun when it is obvious from the context:…(A) little of,(a) few of
We use of with (a) little and (a) few when they come before articles (a/an, the), demonstratives (this, that), possessives (my, your) or pronouns (him, them):…A little: adverb
We use a little as an adverb of degree. It is more formal than a bit:…A littlewith adjectives, determiners, adverbs
We use a little before adjectives and adverbs to modify them. It is more formal than a bit:…Little: adjective
We use little as an adjective to mean ‘small’:…