1
as in little
of a size that is less than average
a small cat who never weighed more than five pounds
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slim
small in degree
your chances of winning the lottery are so small that it's best not to count on it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in minor
lacking importance
reluctant to bring such a small matter to the boss's attention
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in petty
not broad or open in views or opinions
townspeople who were helpful to one another but who also could be small and intolerant
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of small
While these methods remain effective, excessive tilling can break down soil aggregates into smaller particles, reducing soil health and increasing erosion risk.
—
Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2026
The minimum benefit at age 62 is 30% smaller.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
To keep the airway open while the dog's face heals, Peanut had a small tube inserted into his nostril.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
For short trips, the travel time difference between a bus ride and a flight can end up very small when accounting for the lack of a need to taxi on a bus, Schwieterman said.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for small
Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2026
The minimum benefit at age 62 is 30% smaller.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
To keep the airway open while the dog's face heals, Peanut had a small tube inserted into his nostril.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
For short trips, the travel time difference between a bus ride and a flight can end up very small when accounting for the lack of a need to taxi on a bus, Schwieterman said.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for small
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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Part of what contributes to the slim odds is the fact that Morris is seeking to move the process forward using Christian arbitration, while Gateway wants to use a standard legal approach, Morris’ attorney Bill Mateja told the Star-Telegram last July.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
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The Heat’s chances of avoiding the NBA’s play-in tournament are now very slim.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Meanwhile, at home, small appliances might break down or a minor breakage could occur.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
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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
Adjective
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Hole, Oleg and Martin Aminov (Simon J Berger), a petty gun smuggler mistakenly accused of being the serial killer, wind up in a stationary elevator stuck between two floors with an armed Waaler reaching in to grab Oleg’s hair.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
27 Mar. 2026
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The show will focus on the disappearance of petty criminal El Nani (aka Santiago Correla).—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The device is powered by a rather diminutive 4,050-mAh silicon-carbon battery that supports 33-W charging.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
28 Mar. 2026
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Each of those films also features a plucky, diminutive hero who succeeds in the face of naysayers—an easy figure for any kid watching to root for.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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UConn came into the game as a slight underdog despite having beaten the Illini by 13 points at Madison Square Garden back in November.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
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Black One and Monoliths & Dimensions maintain a slight distance from the listener with a layer of reverb that softens the bone-crushing power of the guitars.—
Daniel Bromfield,
Pitchfork,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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One stretch of narrow country road leading north out of the town of Clones in the Republic, for example, goes through Northern Ireland for some yards before reverting to the Republic.—
Colm Tóibín,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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That's because the radio waves are emanating over a wider range of directions rather than just in a narrow cone from the poles.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Its tulle is brittle and sharp, brushing against my fur like a thousand tiny teeth, a cruel lover that bites with every move.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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The astronauts' cells have been placed on tiny chips and distributed throughout the capsule in an effort to understand these effects in greater detail.—
Brendan Byrne,
NPR,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Small.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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