Synonyms for smallest
| Grammar : Adj |
| Spell : smawl |
| Phonetic Transcription : smɔl |
Top 10 synonyms for smallest Other synonyms for the word smallest
Définition of smallest
Origin :- Old English smæl "thin, slender, narrow; fine," from Proto-Germanic *smal- "small animal; small" (cf. Old Saxon, Danish, Swedish, Middle Dutch, Dutch, Old High German smal, Old Frisian smel, German schmal "narrow, slender," Gothic smalista "smallest," Old Norse smali "small cattle, sheep"), perhaps from a PIE root *(s)melo- "smaller animal" (cf. Greek melon, Old Irish mil "a small animal;" Old Church Slavonic malu "bad"). Original sense of "narrow" now almost obsolete, except in reference to waistline and intestines.
- My sister ... is as white as a lilly, and as small as a wand. [Shakespeare, "Two Gentlemen of Verona," 1591]
- Sense of "not large, of little size" developed in Old English. Of children, "young," from mid-13c. Meaning "inferior in degree or amount" is from late 13c. Meaning "trivial, unimportant" is from mid-14c. Sense of "having little property or trade" is from 1746. That of "characterized by littleness of mind or spirit, base, low, mean" is from 1824. As an adverb by late 14c.
- Small fry, first recorded 1690s of little fish, 1885 of insignificant people. Small potatoes "no great matter" first attested 1924; small change "something of little value" is from 1902; small talk "chit-chat, trifling conversation" (1751) first recorded in Chesterfield's "Letters." Small world as a comment upon an unexpected meeting of acquaintances is recorded from 1895. Small-arms, indicating those capable of being carried in the hand (contrasted to ordnance) is recorded from 1710.
- adj minimal
- I would not let the smallest child stroke his father's beard roughly.
- Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald
- You are right; I do not feel the smallest inclination to hate him.
- Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald
- Why, there are hundreds and hundreds of them--and the smallest worth not less than fifty pounds!
- Extract from : « The Leopard Woman » by Stewart Edward White
- And when I had recovered them all, even to the smallest, I took my treasure home.
- Extract from : « Green Mansions » by W. H. Hudson
- My smallest action, my most trivial habit, was familiar to them.
- Extract from : « In the Valley » by Harold Frederic
- The smallest bit of fat will eventually render it dull and cloudy.
- Extract from : « Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches » by Eliza Leslie
- I had not the least idea that Nicholas was after his time, not the smallest.
- Extract from : « The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby » by Charles Dickens
- Not the smallest aperture was left in it; nothing whatever could pass.
- Extract from : « The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete » by Emile Zola
- I have had it in my hands, and never got the smallest injury.
- Extract from : « The Green Satin Gown » by Laura E. Richards
- The sight of the fire, although it was of the smallest, was most welcome.
- Extract from : « Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood » by George MacDonald
Words or expressions associated with your search
- abysmal
- baptismal
- baptismal name
- cataclysmal
- dismal
- in small doses
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- paroxysmal
- phantasmal
- small
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- small change
- small-craft advisory
- small fry
- small-fry
- small hours
- small house
- small intestine
- small lake
- small memory
- small-minded
- small number
- small potatoes
- small print
- small quantity
- small role
- small-scale
- small size
- small speaking part
- small talk
- small-time
- small-town
- smallclothes
- smaller
- smallest
- smallishness
- smallness
- smallsword
- to a smaller extent
Most wanted synonyms
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019