Antonyms for slightness

Grammar : Noun

Spell : slahyt

Phonetic Transcription : slaɪt

Definition of slightness

Origin : early 14c., "flat, smooth; hairless," probably from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse slettr "smooth, sleek," from Proto-Germanic *slikhtaz (cf. Old Saxon slicht; Low German slicht "smooth, plain common;" Old English -sliht "level," attested in eorðslihtes "level with the ground;" Old Frisian sliucht "smooth, slight," Middle Dutch sleht "even, plain," Old High German sleht, Gothic slaihts "smooth"), probably from a collateral form of PIE *sleig- "to smooth, glide, be muddy," from root *(s)lei- "slimy" (see slime (n.)).
Sense evolution probably is from "smooth" (c.1300), to "slim, slender; of light texture," hence "not good or strong; insubstantial, trifling, inferior, insignificant" (early 14c.). Meaning "small in amount" is from 1520s. Sense of German cognate schlecht developed from "smooth, plain, simple" to "bad, mean, base," and as it did it was replaced in the original senses by schlicht, a back-formation from schlichten "to smooth, to plane," a derivative of schlecht in the old sense [Klein].

As in lack : noun deficiency, need
As in paucity : noun lack, scarcity
As in smallness : noun littleness

Example sentences :

It was the exotic complexion and the slightness of his build which had put me off so completely.
Extract from : « 'Twixt Land & Sea » by Joseph Conrad

But as in this latter case, the superficiality and slightness of the work are deceptive.
Extract from : « Epic and Romance » by W. P. Ker

She felt the slightness of her body and the fragileness of her bones.
Extract from : « The Narrow House » by Evelyn Scott

But there was about him an air of slightness that was accentuated by his quick movements.
Extract from : « Double Challenge » by James Arthur Kjelgaard

Slight in texture it may be, but slightness is not triviality.
Extract from : « British Quarterly Review, American Edition, Vol. LIII » by Various

The slightness of the canoe had betrayed what he thought was a shiver.
Extract from : « East Angels » by Constance Fenimore Woolson

And she felt acutely her slightness, her girlishness, and her need of his help.
Extract from : « Hilda Lessways » by Arnold Bennett

The most curious distinguishable feature was his slightness.
Extract from : « The Story of the Foss River Ranch » by Ridgwell Cullum

One was young and slender with the slightness of delicate girlhood.
Extract from : « The Strength of Gideon and Other Stories » by Paul Laurence Dunbar

She was impressed with the slightness of the thread on which our destiny hangs, and then by the inevitableness of our lives.
Extract from : « Evelyn Innes » by George Moore

Synonyms for slightness

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019