Meaning & use
teeny amount
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Meanings
nouncountableinformal
An extremely small quantity of something, often so little that it is barely noticeable.
Grammar: Countable, usually with "a": a teeny amount of salt. It is not used in the plural in everyday speech.
Patterns
- a teeny amount of something
- only a teeny amount
- such a teeny amount
Add a teeny amount of salt to the soup and taste it again.
There was only a teeny amount of milk left in the fridge, so I used water instead.
She earns a teeny amount from her weekend job, but she enjoys it.
nouncountableinformal
A very small number of people or things.
Grammar: Used of countable things, where "amount" is normally replaced by "number" in careful writing: a teeny number of guests.
Patterns
- a teeny amount of people
- a teeny amount of mistakes
A teeny amount of students came to the first meeting, but more joined later.
We found a teeny amount of errors in the report after checking it twice.
Common combinations
- a teeny amount of
- She put a teeny amount of sugar in her coffee.
- only a teeny amount
- We had only a teeny amount of time to finish the test.
- just a teeny amount
- Just a teeny amount of paint got on the floor.
- a teeny amount left
- There is a teeny amount left, so help yourself.
- a teeny amount more
- Could I have a teeny amount more rice, please?
Synonyms and how they differ
- a tiny amount
- Neutral rather than informal, so it fits better in essays and reports.
- a little bit
- Very common in speech and used with uncountable things, but it does not take "of" as naturally before a noun.
- a drop
- Used mainly for liquids and suggests an even smaller quantity than "a teeny amount".
- a trace
- More technical and used for substances that can barely be measured, as in science writing.
Opposites
Word family
- teeny adjective
- Very small; the informal adjective that forms this phrase.
- teeny-weeny adjective
- A playful, childish way of saying extremely small.
Commonly confused: teeny amount or tiny amount? teeny amount or little amount?
teeny amount vs tiny amount
"Tiny" is a standard adjective and works in any situation; "teeny" is informal and sounds warmer and more playful.
teeny amount vs little amount
"Little" usually means a small but not extreme quantity, so it is weaker than "teeny amount"; "few" is used with countable nouns instead.
Practice
Which sentence uses "teeny amount" most naturally?
Choose one answer.
"A teeny amount of" needs the article "a", "of", and a singular uncountable noun, so option 1 is correct. Option 2 drops "of" before the noun, option 3 drops the article, and option 4 wrongly makes "amount" plural.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “teeny amount”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.