Meaning & use
slight
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Small in amount or degree and not important or easily noticed.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: a slight delay; it is also used in not in the slightest.
Patterns
- a slight something
- not in the slightest
There was a slight delay because of the rain.
A slight change in temperature can affect the results.
She felt a slight pain in her ankle.
adjectivecomparable
Thin and delicate in build, with a light body.
Grammar: Describes a person's shape, often of a slim man or woman.
Patterns
- be of slight build
The boy was slight, but he was quick on his feet.
She was a slight woman with a surprisingly strong voice.
He was of slight build and looked younger than his age.
verbtransitiveformal
To treat someone as unimportant, or insult them by ignoring or speaking about them without respect.
Grammar: Takes an object: they slighted the new guest.
Patterns
- slight someone
He felt slighted when no one asked for his opinion.
The host was careful not to slight any of the guests.
The speaker slighted the earlier researchers by failing to mention them.
nouncountableformal
An act or remark that insults someone by treating them as unimportant.
Grammar: Often followed by to or on: a slight to her pride.
Patterns
- a slight to someone
- a slight on someone
Leaving her off the invitation list was taken as a slight.
He remembered every slight, however small.
The comment was a slight on the whole department.
Word forms
| comparative | slighter |
|---|---|
| superlative | slightest |
| verb: third person singular | slights |
| verb: past tense | slighted |
Common combinations
- a slight chance
- There is a slight chance of rain this afternoon.
- slight difference
- I noticed a slight difference in the two colors.
- slight accent
- She speaks with a slight accent.
- not in the slightest
- I am not tired in the slightest.
- feel slighted
- The intern felt slighted when his idea was ignored.
Synonyms and how they differ
- minor
- Minor suggests low importance, whereas slight suggests small size or amount.
- faint
- Faint describes something hard to see, hear or smell, and is narrower than slight.
- slender
- Slender is a pleasant word for a graceful, thin build, while slight can sound a little weak or fragile.
- snub
- Snub as a verb means to deliberately ignore someone, and it is stronger and more intentional than slight.
Opposites
Word family
- slightly adverb
- a little; to a small degree
- slightness noun
- the quality of being small or thin
- slighted adjective
- feeling insulted or ignored
- slighting adjective
- showing disrespect
Commonly confused: slight or sleight? slight or slit?
slight vs sleight
Sleight appears in sleight of hand, meaning clever quick movements of the fingers, and is pronounced the same as slight.
slight vs slit
A slit is a long narrow cut or opening, not a small amount.
Practice
Which sentence uses slight in the sense of an insult?
Choose one answer.
Only the third sentence uses slight as a noun meaning an act that shows disrespect. The other three use the adjective for something small or thin.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “slight”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.