Slight — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb noun /ˈslīt/

Meaning & Definition of Slight

Slight (adjective)

  1. having a slim or delicate build, not stout or massive in body
  2. lacking in strength or substance, flimsy, frail
  3. deficient in weight, solidity, or importance, trivial

Slight (verb)

  1. to treat as slight or unimportant, make light of
  2. to treat with disdain or indifference
  3. to perform or attend to carelessly and inadequately

Slight (noun)

  1. an act or an instance of slighting
  2. an instance of being slighted, a humiliating discourtesy

Slight (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. lacking bodily strength

    "a small lad with a slight build"

    similar: asthenic, debilitated, delicate, down-and-out, effete, enervated, enfeebled, faint, feeble, frail, infirm, languid, low, prostrate, prostrated, sapped, soft, softened, tender, unsubstantial, wasted, weak, weakened, wimpish, wimpy
    related: disabled, incapacitated, invalid, paralyzed, broken-down, decrepit, impotent, powerless, breakable, flimsy, fragile, dizzy, groggy, rocky, unsteady, woozy, drained, exhausted, flagging, tired, weary, worn-out, damaged, harmed, hurt, impaired, injured, unsound, resistless, susceptible, unresistant, vulnerable, yielding
    opposite: mighty, powerful, rugged, stalwart, stout, strong
    near: able-bodied, athletic, beefy, brawny, fit, husky, muscular, sinewy, strapping, virile, hard, hardy, lusty, red-blooded, robust, sturdy, tough, fortified, hardened, inured, strengthened, toughened, energetic, energized, invigorated, vigorous, vitalized, hale, healthy, sound, capable, competent, convalescing, recovering, recuperating

  2. lacking importance

    "a slight comedy that did nothing to further her career"

    similar: fiddling, foolish, frivolous, incidental, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, little, Mickey Mouse, minor, minute, negligible, nugatory, small, small-fry, trifling, trivial, unimportant, neither here nor there
    related: jerkwater, one-horse, nickel-and-dime, paltry, petty, small-time, worthless, anonymous, nameless, obscure, uncelebrated, unknown
    opposite: big, consequential, eventful, important, major, material, meaningful, momentous, significant, substantial, unfrivolous, weighty
    near: decisive, fatal, fateful, chief, dominant, overbearing, overmastering, overriding, principal, distinctive, exceptional, impressive, outstanding, prominent, remarkable, valuable, worthwhile, worthy, distinguished, eminent, great, illustrious, preeminent, prestigious, famous, notorious, renowned, all-important, basic, essential, fundamental, key

  3. of a size that is less than average

    "the slight youth packed a surprisingly solid punch"

    similar: bantam, diminutive, dinky, dwarfish, fine, half-pint, Lilliputian, little, pint-size, pocket, pocket-size, puny, pygmy, shrimpy, small, smallish, subnormal, toylike, undersized
    related: dwarf, toy, runtish, runty, scrubby, stunted, bitty, inappreciable, infinitesimal, little bitty, micro, microscopic, mini, miniature, miniaturized, minikin, minim, minuscule, minute, pinpoint, teensy, teensy-weensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, wee, weeny, meager, poor, scant, scanty, scarce, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparse, stingy, deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, wanting, bite-size, capsule
    opposite: big, biggish, considerable, goodly, grand, great, handsome, husky, king-size, large, largish, outsize, overscale, oversize, sizable, substantial, tidy, whacking, whopping
    near: bulky, hefty, hulking, massive, voluminous, boxcar, Brobdingnagian, Bunyanesque, cavernous, colossal, cyclopean, elephantine, enormous, galactic, gargantuan, giant, gigantic, gross, Himalayan, herculean, heroic, huge, humongous, immense, jumbo, leviathan, mammoth, monolithic, monstrous, monumental, mountainous, pharaonic, prodigious, staggering, stupendous, titanic, tremendous, vast, abundant, ample, appreciable, bountiful, copious, generous, healthy, liberal, plenteous, plentiful, fat, thick, broad, wide, boundless, cosmic, immeasurable, incalculable, infinite, adequate, enough, sufficient

  4. so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention

    "apart from a slight fishy taste, the dish was fine"

    similar: chicken, de minimis, footling, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, measly, Mickey Mouse, minute, negligible, niggling, no-account, nominal, paltry, peanut, petty, picayune, piddling, piddly, piffling, pimping, trifling, trivial
    related: inferior, mean, imperceptible, inappreciable, little, puny, tiny, hairsplitting, nitpicking, pettifogging, quibbling, one-horse, small-fry, two-bit
    opposite: big, consequential, considerable, important, material, significant
    near: serious, substantial, weighty, eventful, momentous, pivotal, conspicuous, noteworthy, outstanding, prominent, remarkable, striking, appreciable, discernible, measurable

  5. small in degree

    "only a slight chance of success"

    similar: fragile, frail, negligible, off, outside, remote, slim, small
    related: marginal, minimal, minor, little, tiny
    opposite: good
    near: great, large, distinct, significant, considerable, goodly, healthy, largish, respectable, sizable, substantial, tidy

Slight (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings

    "refused to respond to their petty slights"

    similar: affront, barb, brickbat, cut, dart, dig, dis (slang), epithet, gird, indignity, insult, name, offense, outrage, personality, poke, put-down, sarcasm, slap, slur
    related: catcall, gibe, jeer, mock, quip, sneer, taunt, abuse, invective, vituperation, disapproval, opprobrium, disgrace, dishonor, shame, attack, criticism, knock, slam, swipe, torment, torture
    near: accolade, commendation, compliment, acclaim, applause, praise, adulation, flattery

Slight (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment in

    "the dancers felt slighted by the harsh comments of the judges"

    similar: affront, dis (slang), disrespect, insult, offend, outrage, slap, wound
    related: cut, snub, displease, distress, disturb, hurt, miff, pain, trouble, upset, jeer, mock, ridicule, sneer (at), taunt, defame, disparage, libel, malign, revile, slander, slur, smear, oppress, persecute, torment, torture
    near: acclaim, applaud, approve, hail, commend, compliment, eulogize, praise, adulate, flatter, sweet-talk, exalt, glorify, honor, delight, gratify, please, satisfy

  2. to deliberately ignore or treat rudely

    "as a temp worker, she often feels slighted by the people she has to work with"

    similar: cold-shoulder, cut, high-hat, snub, stiff, stiff-arm
    related: isolate, ostracize, brush (aside or off), disdain, rebuff, reject, repel, repulse, scorn, spurn, disregard, forget, neglect, overlook, overpass, pass over, shrug off

  3. to show contempt for

    "music critics who slight any style of music that doesn't fit their personal taste"

    similar: contemn, dis (slang), disdain, disrespect, high-hat, look down (on or upon), scorn, sniff (at), snoot, snub, look down one's nose (at), sneeze at, thumb one's nose (at), walk over
    related: scout, abhor, abominate, despise, detest, execrate, hate, loathe, belittle, deplore, deprecate, disparage, disapprove (of), discountenance, disfavor, frown (on or upon)
    opposite: honor, respect
    near: cherish, prize, treasure, value, admire, esteem, lionize, hallow, revere, venerate, worship, accept, appreciate, approve (of), care (for), countenance, favor, OK, subscribe (to)

  4. to fail to give proper attention to

    "slighted several major authors in her survey of 20th-century fiction"

    similar: bypass, disregard, forget, ignore, neglect, overlook, overpass, pass over, slur (over)
    related: fail, miss, omit, brush (aside or off), reject, shrug off, slough (off), disdain, pooh-pooh, scorn, scant, skimp
    opposite: attend (to), heed, mind, regard, tend (to)
    near: appreciate, cherish, prize, treasure, value, cultivate, foster, nurse, nurture, pamper, remember, listen (to), watch, follow, mark, note, notice, observe, remark

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Slight

The most common words with a similar meaning to Slight:

Slang: dis
asthenic, debilitated, delicate, down-and-out, effete, enervated, enfeebled, faint, feeble, frail, infirm, languid, low, prostrate, prostrated, sapped, soft, softened, tender, unsubstantial, wasted, weak, weakened, wimpish, wimpy, fiddling, foolish, frivolous, incidental, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, little, Mickey Mouse, minor, minute, negligible, nugatory, small, small-fry

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Slight

Words with the opposite meaning of Slight:

mighty, powerful, rugged, stalwart, stout, strong, big, consequential, eventful, important, major, material, meaningful, momentous, significant, substantial, unfrivolous, weighty, biggish, considerable, goodly, grand, great, handsome, husky, king-size, large, largish, outsize, overscale

Related Words for Slight

disabled, incapacitated, invalid, paralyzed, broken-down, decrepit, impotent, powerless, breakable, flimsy, dizzy, groggy, rocky, unsteady, woozy, drained, exhausted, flagging, tired, weary, worn-out, damaged, harmed, hurt, impaired, injured, unsound, resistless, susceptible, unresistant

Near Antonyms of Slight

able-bodied, athletic, beefy, brawny, fit, muscular, sinewy, strapping, virile, hard, hardy, lusty, red-blooded, robust, sturdy, tough, fortified, hardened, inured, strengthened, toughened, energetic, energized, invigorated, vigorous, vitalized, hale, healthy, sound, capable

Word Forms of Slight

Inflections: slighted, slighting, slights

Derived words: slightly (adverb), slightness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Slight

Middle English, smooth, slight, probably from Old English sliht- (in eorth-slihtes level with the ground); akin to Old High German sleht smooth, slīhhan to glide slick:2

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Slight

Frequently Asked Questions about Slight

What does "Slight" mean?

"Slight" means having a slim or delicate build, not stout or massive in body. As an an adjective, a verb and a noun, it is defined as: having a slim or delicate build, not stout or massive in body. It has 10 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Slight"?

Other words for "Slight" include asthenic, debilitated, delicate, down-and-out, effete, enervated, enfeebled and faint. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Slight" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Slight"?

There are 293 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Slight". Common alternatives include asthenic, debilitated, delicate, down-and-out, effete, enervated, enfeebled, faint, feeble and frail.

What is the opposite of "Slight"?

Antonyms of "Slight" include mighty, powerful, rugged, stalwart, stout, strong, big and consequential. Near antonyms include able-bodied, athletic, beefy and brawny.

How do you use "Slight" in a sentence?

Examples of "Slight" in a sentence: "a small lad with a slight build"; "a slight comedy that did nothing to further her career"; "the slight youth packed a surprisingly solid punch".

Is "Slight" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Slight" can be used as an adjective, a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Slight" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Slight" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Slight"?

"Slight" is pronounced /ˈslīt/.