Meaning & use
little
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Small in size, amount, or degree.
Grammar: Used before nouns to mean small: a little house; little water.
Patterns
- a little + noun
- little + uncountable noun
They live in a little house near the park.
There is little water left in the bottle.
She has little interest in sports.
adjectivebefore a noun
Young or younger.
Grammar: Used before a noun to mean young: my little brother.
Patterns
- little + noun
My little sister is starting school this year.
When I was little, I loved cartoons.
They have two little children.
determinerbefore a noun
Not much; a small amount of (used with uncountable nouns).
Grammar: Used before uncountable nouns: little time, little money.
Patterns
- little + uncountable noun
We have little time to finish the project.
There is little hope of finding survivors.
He showed little emotion.
adverbafter a verb
Not much; to a small degree.
Grammar: Modifies verbs or adjectives: little known, little changed.
Patterns
- little + verb
- little + adjective
She little knew what was about to happen.
The situation has little changed.
He is little known outside his field.
Word forms
| comparative | littler |
|---|---|
| superlative | littlest |
Common combinations
- a little bit
- I'm a little bit tired.
- little by little
- Little by little, she improved.
- little known
- He is a little-known author.
- little or no
- There was little or no damage.
- quite a little
- That's quite a little problem you've got.
Synonyms and how they differ
- small
- More neutral and common for size; 'little' often adds an emotional tone (a cute little dog).
- tiny
- Means extremely small; 'little' is less extreme.
- young
- Used for age; 'little' can also mean young but is more affectionate.
Opposites
Word family
- littleness noun
- The quality of being small.
Commonly confused: little or few? little or a little?
little vs few
'Few' is used with countable nouns (few apples), while 'little' is used with uncountable nouns (little water).
little vs a little
'A little' means some, a small amount (positive), while 'little' without 'a' means hardly any (negative). Compare: 'We have a little time' (some time) vs. 'We have little time' (almost no time).
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
'Milk' is uncountable, so use 'little' (not 'few') and a singular verb 'is'. 'Few' is for countable nouns.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “little”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.