slight

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Related to slight: slightly

slight

small in size, degree, or amount; delicate; act of disrespect: He reacted with anger to the slight.

Not to be confused with:

sleight – skill; dexterity; stratagem; legerdemain: sleight of hand

slight

(slīt)

adj. slight·er, slight·est

1. Small in size, degree, or amount: a slight tilt; a slight surplus.

2. Lacking strength, substance, or solidity; frail: a slight foundation; slight evidence.

3. Of small importance or consideration; trifling: slight matters.

4. Small and slender in build or construction; delicate.

tr.v. slight·ed, slight·ing, slights

1. To treat (someone) with discourteous reserve or inattention: "the occasional feeling of being slighted at others' underestimating my charms and talents" (Joseph Epstein).

2. To treat as of small importance; make light of: "If I have ... slighted the contributions of my many predecessors, let me offer a blanket apology" (Joseph J. Ellis).

3. To do negligently or thoughtlessly; scant: "It is a proper question to ask of an assignment whether some of its parts might be omitted or slighted" (Stanley Fish).

4. To raze or level the walls of (a castle or other fortification).

A deliberate discourtesy; a snub: "She got into the car, thinking how sensitive men are to slights from women and how insensitive to slights to women" (Marge Piercy).

[Middle English, slender, smooth, possibly of Scandinavian origin; see lei- in Indo-European roots.]

slight′ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

slight

(slaɪt)

adj

1. small in quantity or extent

2. of small importance; trifling

3. slim and delicate

4. lacking in strength or substance

5. dialect Southwest English ill

vb (tr)

6. to show indifference or disregard for (someone); snub

7. to treat as unimportant or trifling

8. US to devote inadequate attention to (work, duties, etc)

an act or omission indicating supercilious neglect or indifference

[C13: from Old Norse slēttr smooth; related to Old High German slehtr, Gothic slaihts, Middle Dutch slecht simple]

ˈslightness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

slight

(slaɪt)

adj. slight•er, slight•est,
v.
n. adj.

1. small in amount, degree, etc.

2. of little importance, influence, etc.; trivial.

3. slender or slim; not heavily built.

4. frail; flimsy; delicate: a slight fabric.

5. of little substance or strength.

v.t.

6. to treat as of little importance.

7. to treat (someone) with indifference; snub.

8. to do negligently; scamp: to slight one's studies.

9. an instance of slighting indifference or treatment.

10. a pointed and contemptuous discourtesy; affront.

[1250–1300; Middle English (adj.): smooth, slender; c. Old High German sleht smooth, Old Norse slēttr]

slight′er, n.

slight′ly, adv.

slight′ness, n.

syn: slight, disregard, neglect, overlook mean to pay no attention or too little attention to someone or something. To slight is to ignore or treat as unimportant: to slight one's neighbors. To disregard is to ignore or treat without due respect: to disregard the rules. To neglect is to fail in one's duty toward a person or thing: to neglect one's correspondence. To overlook is to fail to notice or consider someone or something, possibly because of carelessness: to overlook a bill that is due. See insult. See also slender.

slight

hair-trigger - Its underlying meaning is something that may be triggered with the pressure of something as slight as a hair.
legerdemain - "Slight of hand, conjuring tricks," from French, literally "light of hand."
velleity - Describes a mild desire, wish, or urge that is too slight to lead to action.
annuated - Slightly aged.

slight

Past participle: slighted
Gerund: slighting

Imperative
slight
slight

Present
I slight
you slight
he/she/it slights
we slight
you slight
they slight

Preterite
I slighted
you slighted
he/she/it slighted
we slighted
you slighted
they slighted

Present Continuous
I am slighting
you are slighting
he/she/it is slighting
we are slighting
you are slighting
they are slighting

Present Perfect
I have slighted
you have slighted
he/she/it has slighted
we have slighted
you have slighted
they have slighted

Past Continuous
I was slighting
you were slighting
he/she/it was slighting
we were slighting
you were slighting
they were slighting

Past Perfect
I had slighted
you had slighted
he/she/it had slighted
we had slighted
you had slighted
they had slighted

Future
I will slight
you will slight
he/she/it will slight
we will slight
you will slight
they will slight

Future Perfect
I will have slighted
you will have slighted
he/she/it will have slighted
we will have slighted
you will have slighted
they will have slighted

Future Continuous
I will be slighting
you will be slighting
he/she/it will be slighting
we will be slighting
you will be slighting
they will be slighting

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been slighting
you have been slighting
he/she/it has been slighting
we have been slighting
you have been slighting
they have been slighting

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been slighting
you will have been slighting
he/she/it will have been slighting
we will have been slighting
you will have been slighting
they will have been slighting

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been slighting
you had been slighting
he/she/it had been slighting
we had been slighting
you had been slighting
they had been slighting

Conditional
I would slight
you would slight
he/she/it would slight
we would slight
you would slight
they would slight

Past Conditional
I would have slighted
you would have slighted
he/she/it would have slighted
we would have slighted
you would have slighted
they would have slighted

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	slight - a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval) rebuff offense, offensive activity, discourtesy, offence - a lack of politeness; a failure to show regard for others; wounding the feelings or others cold shoulder, snub, cut - a refusal to recognize someone you know; "the snub was clearly intentional" silent treatment - an aloof refusal to speak to someone you know
Verb	1.	slight - pay no attention to, disrespect; "She cold-shouldered her ex-fiance" cold-shoulder brush aside, brush off, discount, dismiss, disregard, ignore, push aside - bar from attention or consideration; "She dismissed his advances"
Adj.	1.	slight - (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with `a') at least some; "little rain fell in May"; "gave it little thought"; "little time is left"; "we still have little money"; "a little hope remained"; "there's slight chance that it will work"; "there's a slight chance it will work" little less - (comparative of `little' usually used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning not as great in amount or degree; "of less importance"; "less time to spend with the family"; "a shower uses less water"; "less than three years old"
	2.	slight - lacking substance or significance; "slight evidence"; "a tenuous argument"; "a thin plot"; a fragile claim to fame" flimsy, fragile, tenuous, thin unimportant, insignificant - devoid of importance, meaning, or force
	3.	slight - being of delicate or slender build; "she was slender as a willow shoot is slender"- Frank Norris; "a slim girl with straight blonde hair"; "watched her slight figure cross the street" slender, slim, svelte lean, thin - lacking excess flesh; "you can't be too rich or too thin"; "Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look"-Shakespeare

slight

adjective

1. small, minor, insignificant, negligible, weak, modest, trivial, superficial, feeble, trifling, meagre, unimportant, paltry, measly, insubstantial, scanty, inconsiderable It's only made a slight difference.
small great, large, important, significant, obvious, considerable, substantial, noticeable, appreciable

2. slim, small, delicate, spare, fragile, lightly-built a man of slight build
slim solid, muscular, sturdy, well-built, strong

verb

1. snub, insult, ignore, rebuff, affront, neglect, put down, despise, scorn, disdain, disparage, cold-shoulder, treat with contempt, show disrespect for, give offence or umbrage to They felt slighted by not being adequately consulted.
snub praise, flatter, compliment, speak well of, big up (slang, chiefly Caribbean), treat considerately

noun

1. insult, snub, affront, contempt, disregard, indifference, disdain, rebuff, disrespect, slap in the face (informal), inattention, discourtesy, (the) cold shoulder a child weeping over an imagined slight
insult praise, compliment, flattery

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

slight

adjective

1. Of small intensity:

gentle, light, moderate, soft.

2. Small in degree, especially of probability:

faint, negligible, outside, remote, slender, slim.

verb

1. To think, represent, or speak of as small or unimportant:

belittle, decry, denigrate, deprecate, depreciate, derogate, detract, discount, disparage, downgrade, minimize, run down, talk down.

Idiom: make light of.

2. To refuse to pay attention to (a person); treat with contempt:

disregard, ignore, neglect.

Regional: igg.

3. To fail to care for or give proper attention to:

disregard, ignore, neglect.

noun

1. An act or instance of neglecting:

disregard, neglect, oversight.

2. An act that offends a person's sense of pride or dignity:

affront, contumely, despite, indignity, insult, offense, outrage.

Idiom: slap in the face.

Translations

طَفيفطَفِيفنَحيف

drobnýlehkýmalýsubtilní

lillemindrespinkel

dünn gering Kränkung leicht schwach

ανεπαίσθητος

ligero pequeño delicado leve

vähäinen

frêle léger mince

malen

fíngerîuróverulegur

esile scarso labile magro minimo

わずかな

약간의

liaunailiaunasmenkiausiasnė trupučio

nelielsnenozīmīgstievstrauslsvājš

subtílny

neznatenrahelšibek

liten

เล็กน้อยมาก

az hafif incecik narin

ít

微小略微的瘦小的轻微的

slight

[slaɪt]

A. ADJ (slighter (compar) (slightest (superl)))

1. (= small, minor)

1.1. [difference, change, increase, improvement] → ligero, pequeño; [injury, problem, exaggeration] → pequeño; [accent, movement] → ligero; [breeze] → suave; [smile, pain] → leve
after a slight hesitation, he agreed → después de vacilar ligeramente, accedió
the chances of him winning are very slight → tiene muy pocas posibilidades de ganar
the wall is at a slight angle → la pared está ligeramente inclinada
to have a slight cold → tener un pequeño resfriado, estar un poco resfriado
to walk with a slight limp → cojear ligeramente
to have a slight temperature → tener un poco de fiebre
see also second 5.1

1.2.
the slightest: it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference → no importa en lo más mínimo
without the slightest hesitation → sin dudarlo ni un momento
I haven't the slightest idea → no tengo ni la más remota idea
not in the slightest → en absoluto
nobody showed the slightest interest → nadie mostró el menor interés
he takes offence at the slightest thing → se ofende por la menor cosa or por cualquier nimiedad

2. (= slim) [figure, person] → delgado, menudo
to be of slight build → ser de constitución delgada or menuda

3. (frm) (= insignificant) [book, piece of music] → de poca envergadura
a book of very slight scholarship → un libro de poca erudición

B. N (frm) → desaire m
this is a slight on all of us → es un desaire para todos nosotros

C. VT (frm) [+ person] → desairar a, hacer un desaire a; [+ work, efforts] → menospreciar, despreciar
he felt that he had been slighted → sintió que le habían desairado, sintió que le habían hecho un desaire

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

slight

[ˈslaɪt]

adj

(= slim) → mince, menu(e) (= frail) → frêle

(= small) → petit(e), léger/ère
a slight problem → un léger problème
a slight improvement → une légère amélioration

the slightest (= the least) → le moindre(la)
I haven't the slightest idea → Je n'en ai pas la moindre idée.
the slightest noise → le moindre bruit
the slightest problem → le moindre problème
not the slightest bit → pas du tout
not in the slightest → pas le moins du monde, pas du tout

(= trivial) → faible, insignifiant(e)

n → offense f, affront m

(= offend) → blesser, offenser

slight

adj (+er)

person, build → zierlich; to be of slight build → eine schlanke or zierliche Figur haben

(= small, trivial) → leicht; change, possibility → geringfügig; importance, intelligence → gering; error → leicht, klein; problem → klein; pain → leicht, schwach; acquaintance → flüchtig; the wound is only slight → es ist nur eine leichte Verwundung; the wall’s at a slight angle → die Mauer ist leicht or etwas geneigt; to have a slight cold → eine leichte Erkältung haben; to a slight extent → in geringem Maße; he showed some slight optimism → er zeigte gewisse Ansätze von Optimismus; just the slightest bit short → ein ganz kleines bisschen zu kurz; it doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference → es macht nicht den geringsten or mindesten Unterschied; I wasn’t the slightest bit interested → ich war nicht im Geringsten or Mindesten or mindesten interessiert; nobody showed the slightest interest → niemand zeigte auch nur das geringste Interesse; the slightest optimism → das geringfügigste Zeichen von Optimismus; the slightest criticism/possibility → die geringste Kritik/Möglichkeit; he is upset by at the slightest thing → er ist wegen jeder kleinsten Kleinigkeit gleich verärgert; I haven’t the slightest idea → ich habe nicht die geringste or leiseste (inf) → Ahnung; I don’t have the slightest idea (of) what he’s talking about → ich habe nicht die geringste or leiseste Ahnung, wovon er redet; not in the slightest → nicht im Geringsten or Mindesten or mindesten (geh); without the slightest difficulty → ohne die kleinste or mindeste Schwierigkeit; without the slightest hint of embarrassment → ohne das geringste Anzeichen von Verlegenheit; to do something at the slightest provocation → etw bei der geringsten Provokation tun

n (= affront) → Affront m → (on gegen); a slight on one’s/somebody’s character → eine persönliche Kränkung or Beleidigung

vt (= offend) → kränken, beleidigen; (= ignore) → ignorieren; to feel slighted → gekränkt or beleidigt sein

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

slight

[slaɪt]

1. adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl)))

a. (person, slim) → minuto/a; (frail) → gracile, delicato/a

b. (trivial, cold) → leggero/a; (error) → piccolo/a, insignificante
a slight pain in the arm → un leggero dolore al braccio

c. (small) → piccolo/a, leggero/a
a slight improvement → un leggero miglioramento
there's not the slightest possibility → non c'è la minima possibilità
there's not the slightest danger → non c'è il benché minimo pericolo
not in the slightest → per nulla, niente affatto

2. n → offesa, affronto

3. vt (person) → snobbare, ignorare

slight

(slait) adjective

1. small; not great; not serious or severe. a slight breeze; We have a slight problem.

2. (of a person) slim and delicate-looking. It seemed too heavy a load for such a slight woman.

ˈslightest adjective

(often in negative sentences, questions etc) least possible; any at all. I haven't the slightest idea where he is; The slightest difficulty seems to upset her.

ˈslighting adjective

insulting; disrespectful. He made rather a slighting remark about her parents.

ˈslightingly adverb

ˈslightly adverb

1. to a small extent. I'm still slightly worried about it.

2. slenderly. slightly built.

in the slightest

(in negative sentences, questions etc) at all. You haven't upset me in the slightest; That doesn't worry me in the slightest.

slight

→ طَفِيف drobný lille gering ανεπαίσθητος leve vähäinen mince malen esile わずかな 약간의 gering ubetydelig niewielki leve незначительный liten เล็กน้อยมาก az ít 略微的

slight

a. ligero-a, leve;

___ fever → fiebrecita, fiebre ___.

slight

adj leve, ligero

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

The explanation, I think, is simple: from long-continued study they are strongly impressed with the differences between the several races; and though they well know that each race varies slightly, for they win their prizes by selecting such slight differences, yet they ignore all general arguments, and refuse to sum up in their minds slight differences accumulated during many successive generations.

View in context

He made a slight inclination in return, without speaking.

View in context

He might have been sitting for his portrait, which would have represented a rather striking young man of five-and-twenty, with a square forehead, short dark-brown hair, standing erect, with a slight wave at the end, like a thick crop of corn, and a half-ardent, half-sarcastic glance from under his well-marked horizontal eyebrows.

View in context

I wish I had legs more worthy to bear such a noble crown; it is a pity they are so slim and slight." At that moment a Hunter approached and sent an arrow whistling after him.

View in context

A slight upward or downward motion would enable you to see all that I can see.

View in context

Again Napoleon brought out his snuffbox, paced several times up and down the room in silence, and then, suddenly and unexpectedly, went up to Balashev and with a slight smile, as confidently, quickly, and simply as if he were doing something not merely important but pleasing to Balashev, he raised his hand to the forty-year-old Russian general's face and, taking him by the ear, pulled it gently, smiling with his lips only.

View in context

I had already a slight general notion of Italian letters from Leigh Hunt, and from other agreeable English Italianates; and I knew that I wanted to read not only the four great poets, Dante, Petrarch, Ariosto, and Tasso, but that whole group of burlesque poets, Pulci, Berni, and the rest, who, from what I knew of them, I thought would be even more to my mind.

View in context

He was tall, thin, and wasted, with a slight stoop in the shoulders, a pale face, but somewhat blotchy, and disagreeably red about the eyelids, plain features, and a general appearance of languor and flatness, relieved by a sinister expression in the mouth and the dull, soulless eyes.

View in context

The two girls looked at each other awkwardly; Jessie did not attempt to conceal a slight pout.

View in context

A slight smell of spirits entered the room, and was followed close by the housekeeper herself, with an indignant face and a disordered head-dress.

View in context

From this slight occasion, sprang two meetings that I have now to tell of.

View in context

Of course I realized that the chances of the success of our proposed venture were slim indeed, but I knew that I never could enjoy freedom without Perry so long as the old man lived, and I had learned that the probability that I might find him was less than slight.