slight 1 of 3

adjective

ˈslīt How to pronounce slight (audio)
Definition of slightnext
1
as in weak
lacking bodily strength a small lad with a slight build

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in minor
lacking importance a slight comedy that did nothing to further her career

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in little
of a size that is less than average the slight youth packed a surprisingly solid punch

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention apart from a slight fishy taste, the dish was fine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in small
small in degree only a slight chance of success

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

slight

2 of 3

noun

as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings refused to respond to their petty slights

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

slight

3 of 3

verb

1
as in to insult
to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment in the dancers felt slighted by the harsh comments of the judges

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to isolate
to deliberately ignore or treat rudely as a temp worker, she often feels slighted by the people she has to work with

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to disdain
to show contempt for music critics who slight any style of music that doesn't fit their personal taste

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to ignore
to fail to give proper attention to slighted several major authors in her survey of 20th-century fiction

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective slight contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of slight are slender, slim, tenuous, and thin. While all these words mean "not thick, broad, abundant, or dense," slight implies smallness as well as thinness.

a slight build

When is slender a more appropriate choice than slight?

While in some cases nearly identical to slight, slender implies leanness or spareness often with grace and good proportion.

the slender legs of a Sheraton chair

When would slim be a good substitute for slight?

The words slim and slight can be used in similar contexts, but slim applies to slenderness that suggests fragility or scantiness.

a slim volume of poetry
a slim chance

When might tenuous be a better fit than slight?

The synonyms tenuous and slight are sometimes interchangeable, but tenuous implies extreme thinness, sheerness, or lack of substance and firmness.

a tenuous thread

When is it sensible to use thin instead of slight?

The meanings of thin and slight largely overlap; however, thin implies comparatively little extension between surfaces or in diameter, or it may imply lack of substance, richness, or abundance.

thin wire
a thin soup

How does the adjective slight contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of slight are slender, slim, tenuous, and thin. While all these words mean "not thick, broad, abundant, or dense," slight implies smallness as well as thinness.

a slight build

When is slender a more appropriate choice than slight?

While in some cases nearly identical to slight, slender implies leanness or spareness often with grace and good proportion.

the slender legs of a Sheraton chair

When would slim be a good substitute for slight?

The words slim and slight can be used in similar contexts, but slim applies to slenderness that suggests fragility or scantiness.

a slim volume of poetry
a slim chance

When might tenuous be a better fit than slight?

The synonyms tenuous and slight are sometimes interchangeable, but tenuous implies extreme thinness, sheerness, or lack of substance and firmness.

a tenuous thread

When is it sensible to use thin instead of slight?

The meanings of thin and slight largely overlap; however, thin implies comparatively little extension between surfaces or in diameter, or it may imply lack of substance, richness, or abundance.

thin wire
a thin soup

How does the adjective slight contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of slight are slender, slim, tenuous, and thin. While all these words mean "not thick, broad, abundant, or dense," slight implies smallness as well as thinness.

a slight build

When is slender a more appropriate choice than slight?

While in some cases nearly identical to slight, slender implies leanness or spareness often with grace and good proportion.

the slender legs of a Sheraton chair

When would slim be a good substitute for slight?

The words slim and slight can be used in similar contexts, but slim applies to slenderness that suggests fragility or scantiness.

a slim volume of poetry
a slim chance

When might tenuous be a better fit than slight?

The synonyms tenuous and slight are sometimes interchangeable, but tenuous implies extreme thinness, sheerness, or lack of substance and firmness.

a tenuous thread

When is it sensible to use thin instead of slight?

The meanings of thin and slight largely overlap; however, thin implies comparatively little extension between surfaces or in diameter, or it may imply lack of substance, richness, or abundance.

thin wire
a thin soup

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of slight
Adjective
Most of Friday will remain relatively quiet, with dry conditions through the early to mid-afternoon and only a slight chance for isolated showers or thunderstorms. —April 3, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026 The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center has placed Kansas City, and other parts of the forecast area under a slight risk of severe weather, Level 2 of 5, on Friday. —Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2026
Noun
Even if a frustrating change of plans isn’t really anyone’s fault, you might be tempted to take it as a personal slight. —Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026 Anticipation is once again high for the Superblast 3, and Asics‘ latest round of upgrades is going well beyond slight. —Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
But try to understand why your mom's feeling slighted. —Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 16 Dec. 2025 Paramount feels slighted and discriminated against in the sale process. —Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 8 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for slight
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slight
  1. weak
  2. minor
  3. little
  4. nominal
  5. small
  6. insult
  7. offend
  8. isolate
Adjective
  • The slide appears to have involved a thick slab of soft snow breaking loose at a weak layer in the snowpack, the report said.
    — Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Endowed not only with a privileged birthright but—unlike the actual princes over in England, who had weak chins and went bald young—the physical stature to match?
    — Jeffrey Eugenides, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2026
Definition of weak
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, at home, small appliances might break down or a minor breakage could occur.
    — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
  • The restaurant became a minor sensation—the titular dish is terrific, silken and subtle and rich, but what most stood out was a rotating lineup of specials, mostly hawker-style Malaysian fare, particularly the food of Klang, his parents’ home town, on Malaysia’s western coast.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Definition of minor
Adjective
  • But with Spokane creating little offensively, Andema laid the ball off along his own end line to defender Moussa Ndiaye to start a chaotic sequence that ended with the ball in the back of Boise’s net.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 5 Apr. 2026
  • In the ’90s, the peninsula was taken over by a string of summer-only nightclubs, with little regard for the natural surroundings or the ancient cemetery buried in the pine forest.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Apr. 2026
Definition of little
Adjective
  • Because a present that is over $100, Miss Manner assures you, is indeed meant for a wedding and not a shower, whose gifts are supposed to be more nominal.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026
  • In an alternative scenario, the cap would stay fixed in nominal dollar terms, in our examples at $100,000 or $70,000 sans bumps for the CPI, for 20 or 30 years, and after those intervals grow in tandem with wages.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of nominal
Adjective
  • The cab’s dark interior seems to lure Rauschenberg in, but perhaps he was also drawn to the small round window, like a porthole, above the seat, which looks out at the distance behind the carriage.
    — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Consider reshuffling your to-do list, because a small shift could save money and protect your energy.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 4 Apr. 2026
Definition of small
Noun
  • Laughs and insults, all expressed at a high volume, were guaranteed to follow.
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026
  • The fan repeatedly shouted insults at Punk while pledging allegiance to Reigns.
    — Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Definition of insult
Verb
  • The cynic in me might argue that having only a rear plate is a result of lobbying by various entities, such as insurance companies, who would be happy to not be able to pay out due to the inability to identify the offending vehicle.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Across social media, videos show pups reacting to everything from fake treats and disappearing acts to harmless tricks like surprising them on walks outside, leaving them confused, curious and hilariously offended.
    — Kendall Malinchock, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
Definition of offend
Verb
  • Inspectors found that a detainee showing symptoms of TB was not isolated, posing a potential risk to others.
    — Laura Romero, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Mel is adrift after getting fired from her job as a therapist and isolated from her friend group due to Coop and Sam’s (Olivia Munn) affair.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 Apr. 2026
Definition of isolate

Browse Nearby Words

sliding
slight
slighted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slight. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on slight

Nglish: Translation of slight for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of verdant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

5 Verbal Slip Ups and Language Mistakes

Are You Misusing These 10 Common Words?

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

12 Words for Signs of Spring

The Opposite of Déjà Vu

The Words of the Week - Apr. 3

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?

17 Words for Dog Breeds
See More

Popular

See More

5 Verbal Slip Ups and Language Mistakes

12 Words for Signs of Spring

The Opposite of Déjà Vu
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
8-track-tapes
Good Old-Fashioned Quiz Can you name these antiquated items?
See All