Adjacent Words

Slight definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SLIGHT, a. [It seems that slight belongs to the family of sleek, smooth.]
1. Weak; inconsiderable; not forcible; as a slight impulse; a slight effort.
2. Not deep; as a slight impression.
3. Not violent; as a slight disease, illness or indisposition.
4. Trifling; of no great importance. Slight is the subject, but not so the praise.
5. Not strong; not cogent. Some firmly embrace doctrines upon slight grounds.
6. Negligent; not vehement; not done with effort. The shaking of the head is a gesture of slight refusal.
7. Not firm or strong; thin; of loose texture; as slight silk.
8. Foolish; silly; weak in intellect.
SLIGHT, n.
1. Neglect; disregard; a moderate degree of contempt manifested negatively by neglect. It expresses less than contempt, disdain and scorn.
2. Artifice; dexterity. [See Sleight.]
SLIGHT, v.t.
1. To neglect; to disregard from the consideration that a thing is of little value and unworthy of notice; as, to slight the divine commands, or the offers of mercy.
2. To overthrow; to demolish. [Not used.] "The rogues slighted me into the river," in Shakespeare, is not used.
TO SLIGHT OVER, to run over in haste; to perform superficially; to treat carelessly; as, to slight over a theme.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: (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" [syn: little, slight] [ant: much]
2: lacking substance or significance; "slight evidence"; "a tenuous argument"; "a thin plot"; a fragile claim to fame" [syn: flimsy, fragile, slight, tenuous, thin]
3: 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" [syn: slender, slight, slim, svelte] n
1: a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval) [syn: rebuff, slight] v
1: pay no attention to, disrespect; "She cold-shouldered her ex-fiance" [syn: slight, cold-shoulder]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, smooth, slight, probably from Old English sliht- (in eorth-slihtes level with the ground); akin to Old High German sleht smooth, sl?hhan to glide — more at slick Date: 14th century 1. a. having a slim or delicate build ; not stout or massive in body b. lacking in strength or substance ; flimsy, frail c. deficient in weight, solidity, or importance ; trivial <a slight movie> 2. small of its kind or in amount <a slight chance> <a slight odor of gas> Synonyms: see thin • slightly adverb • slightness noun II. transitive verb Date: 1586 1. to treat as slight or unimportant ; make light of 2. to treat with disdain or indifference <slight a guest> 3. to perform or attend to carelessly and inadequately <don't slight your work> Synonyms: see neglect III. noun Date: 1701 1. an act or an instance of slighting 2. an instance of being slighted ; a humiliating discourtesy

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj., v., & n. --adj. 1 a inconsiderable; of little significance (has a slight cold; the damage is very slight). b barely perceptible (a slight smell of gas). c not much or great or thorough, inadequate, scanty (a conclusion based on very slight observation; paid him slight attention). 2 slender, frail-looking (saw a slight figure approaching; supported by a slight framework). 3 (in superl., with neg. or interrog.) any whatever (paid not the slightest attention). --v.tr. 1 treat or speak of (a person etc.) as not worth attention, fail in courtesy or respect towards, markedly neglect. 2 hist. make militarily useless, raze (a fortification etc.). --n. a marked piece of neglect, a failure to show due respect. Phrases and idioms: not in the slightest not at all. put a slight upon = sense 1 of v. Derivatives: slightingly adv. slightish adj. slightly adv. slightness n. Etymology: ME slyght, sleght f. ON sléttr level, smooth f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Slight Slight, n. The act of slighting; the manifestation of a moderate degree of contempt, as by neglect or oversight; neglect; indignity. Syn: Neglect; disregard; inattention; contempt; disdain; scorn; disgrace; indignity; disparagement.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Slight Slight, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Slighted; p. pr. & vb. n. Slighting.] To disregard, as of little value and unworthy of notice; to make light of; as, to slight the divine commands. --Milton. The wretch who slights the bounty of the skies. --Cowper. To slight off, to treat slightingly; to drive off; to remove. [R.] -- To slight over, to run over in haste; to perform superficially; to treat carelessly; as, to slight over a theme. ``They will but slight it over.'' --Bacon. Syn: To neglect; disregard; disdain; scorn. Usage: Slight, Neglect. To slight is stronger than to neglect. We may neglect a duty or person from inconsiderateness, or from being over-occupied in other concerns. To slight is always a positive and intentional act, resulting from feelings of dislike or contempt. We ought to put a kind construction on what appears neglect on the part of a friend; but when he slights us, it is obvious that he is our friend no longer. Beware . . . lest the like befall . . . If they transgress and slight that sole command. --Milton. This my long-sufferance, and my day of grace, Those who neglect and scorn shall never taste. --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Slight Slight, n. Sleight. --Spenser.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Slight Slight, v. t. [Cf. D. slechten to level, to demolish.] 1. To overthrow; to demolish. [Obs.] --Clarendon. 2. To make even or level. [Obs.] --Hexham. 3. To throw heedlessly. [Obs.] The rogue slighted me into the river. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Slight Slight, a. [Compar. Slighter; superl. Slightest.] [OE. sli?t, sleght, probably from OD. slicht, slecht, simple, plain, D. slecht; akin to OFries. sliucht, G. schlecht, schlicht, OHG. sleht smooth, simple, Icel. sl?ttr smooth, Sw. sl["a]t, Goth. sla['i]hts; or uncertain origin.] 1. Not decidedly marked; not forcible; inconsiderable; unimportant; insignificant; not severe; weak; gentle; -- applied in a great variety of circumstances; as, a slight (i. e., feeble) effort; a slight (i. e., perishable) structure; a slight (i. e., not deep) impression; a slight (i. e., not convincing) argument; a slight (i. e., not thorough) examination; slight (i. e., not severe) pain, and the like. ``At one slight bound.'' --Milton. Slight is the subject, but not so the praise. --Pope. Some firmly embrace doctrines upon slight grounds. --Locke. 2. Not stout or heavy; slender. His own figure, which was formerly so slight. --Sir W. Scott. 3. Foolish; silly; weak in intellect. --Hudibras.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Slight Slight, adv. Slightly. [Obs. or Poetic] Think not so slight of glory. --Milton.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(slighter, slightest, slights, slighting, slighted) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. Something that is slight is very small in degree or quantity. Doctors say he has made a slight improvement... We have a slight problem... He's not the slightest bit worried. = small ADJ: usu ADJ n 2. A slight person has a fairly thin and delicate looking body. She is smaller and slighter than Christie... ADJ • slightly ...a slightly built man. ADV: ADV -ed 3. If you are slighted, someone does or says something that insults you by treating you as if your views or feelings are not important. They felt slighted by not being adequately consulted. VERB: usu passive, feel V-ed • Slight is also a noun. It isn't a slight on my husband that I enjoy my evening class. N-COUNT: usu with supp 4. You use in the slightest to emphasize a negative statement. That doesn't interest me in the slightest... PHRASE: with brd-neg [emphasis]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Small, little, trifling, inconsiderable, trivial, petty, paltry, insignificant, unimportant. 2. Weak, feeble, gentle. 3. Cursory, hasty, hurried, desultory, superficial, scanty, careless, negligent. 4. Perishable, flimsy. 5. Contemptible, worthless, frivolous, paltry. 6. Slim, slender. 7. Contemptuous, disdainful. 8. Faint. II. n. 1. Neglect, disregard, inattention, disrespect, contempt, scorn, disdain, indignity. 2. See sleight. III. v. a. 1. Neglect, disregard, disdain, despise, scorn. 2. Overlook.

Moby Thesaurus

Lenten, Spartan, abstemious, adulterated, affront, airy, ankle-deep, ascetic, asinine, attenuate, attenuated, austere, bantam, be blind to, be caught out, be inattentive, be unwary, belittle, blink, blink at, boyish, breakable, bring down, bring into discredit, bring low, brittle, carefully ignore, catchpenny, cheap-jack, cobwebby, cold shoulder, cold-shoulder, coldness, connive at, contemn, cramped, crumbly, cry down, culpa, culpable negligence, cursory, cut, cut a corner, cut corners, cut dead, cut direct, dainty, debase, decry, default, degrade, delicate, delicately weak, delinquency, depreciate, depthless, dereliction, deride, derogate from, despise, detract from, diaphanous, dilute, diluted, diminish, diminutive, dinky, disapprove of, disconformity, discount, discredit, disdain, disgrace, dismiss, disparage, disregard, disrespect, dodge, dwarfed, dwarfish, effeminate, empty, epidermal, ethereal, exiguous, fail, failure, fat, fatuous, feeble, fine, fine-drawn, finespun, flimsy, flout, foolish, forget, fragile, frail, frangible, fribble, fribbling, frivolous, frothy, frugal, fudge, futile, gaseous, gauzy, gimcrack, gimcracky, girlish, give no heed, give the go-by, gossamer, gossamery, gracile, half-pint, hear nothing, hold in contempt, hold in derision, humiliation, idle, ignore, ill-treatment, impoverished, inadequate, inadvertence, inadvertency, inane, inattention, inconsequential, indifference, indignity, infinitesimal, inobservance, insecure, insignificant, insubstantial, insult, jejune, jerry, jerry-built, knee-deep, knee-high, knock, laches, lacy, laissez-faire, lapse, laugh at, laugh to scorn, laxity, laxness, lean, let pass, light, lightweight, limited, little, look right through, looseness, make light of, make little of, meager, mean, miniature, minimize, minor, minute, miserly, miss, misty, mortify, namby-pamby, narrow, neglect, neglectfulness, negligence, negligible, niggardly, nonadherence, noncompliance, nonconformance, nonconformity, nonfeasance, nonfulfillment, noninterference, nonobservance, nonperformance, nonrestriction, not attend, not deep, not heed, not listen, not notice, nugacious, off, offend, omission, omit, on the surface, one-horse, otiose, outrage, outside, overlook, overlooking, overpass, oversight, paltry, papery, parsimonious, pass by, pass over, pass over lightly, pass up, pasteboardy, pay no attention, pay no mind, perceptible, permissiveness, petite, piddling, pindling, pint-sized, pocket, pocket-sized, poky, pooh-pooh, poor, poor stewardship, precarious, procrastination, puny, put down, rare, rarefied, rebuff, reedy, reflect discredit upon, refuse to acknowledge, refuse to recognize, remissness, repulse, rickety, run down, scamp, scant, scanty, scoff, scoff at, scorn, scout, scrawny, scrimp, scrimpy, see nothing, set at defiance, shallow, shallow-rooted, shattery, shoal, short, silly, sissified, skim, skim over, skim the surface, skimp, skimpy, skin-deep, skip, skip over, slackness, sleazy, slender, slenderish, slight over, slight-made, slim, slimmish, slinky, slubber over, slur, slur over, small, smallish, sneer, sniff, snort, snub, spare, sparing, speak ill of, spurn, spurning, starvation, stingy, stinted, straitened, stunted, submit to indignity, subsistence, subtile, subtle, superficial, surface, svelte, sylphlike, tacky, tenuous, the cold shoulder, the go-by, thin, thin-bodied, thin-set, thin-spun, think little of, thinned, thinned-out, thinnish, threadlike, tiny, touch upon, touch upon lightly, trace, treat with contempt, trifling, trite, trivial, twiggy, two-by-four, uncompact, uncompressed, unlikely, unnourishing, unnutritious, unobservance, unprofound, unrigorousness, unstable, unsubstantial, vacuous, vague, vain, vapid, vaporous, vest-pocket, wasp-waisted, watered, watered-down, watery, weak, wee, willowy, windy, wink at, wiredrawn, wispy, womanish