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slight

Pronunciation: /slʌɪt/

Translate slight | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of slight

adjective

  • 1small in degree; inconsiderable:a slight increase a slight ankle injury the chance of success is very slight
  • (especially of a creative work) not profound or substantial; rather trivial or superficial:a slight romantic comedy
  • 2(of a person or their build) not sturdy; thin or slender:she was slight and delicate-looking

verb

[with object]
  • 1insult (someone) by treating or speaking of them without proper respect or attention:he was desperate not to slight a guest
  • 2 archaic raze or destroy (a fortification): a Council determined whether the Fort should be kept or slighted

noun

  • an insult caused by a failure to show someone proper respect or attention:an unintended slight can create grudges he was seething at the slight to his authority

Phrases

not in the slightest

not at all:he didn’t mind in the slightest

the slightest ——

[usually with negative] any —— whatsoever:I don’t have the slightest idea

Derivatives

slightish

adjective

slightness

noun

Origin:

Middle English; the adjective from Old Norse sléttr 'smooth' (an early sense in English), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch slechts 'merely' and German schlicht 'simple', schlecht 'bad'; the verb (originally in the sense 'make smooth or level'), from Old Norse slétta. The sense ‘treat with disrespect’ dates from the late 16th century

slight in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of slight in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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