small

CEFRA1

/smɔl/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Little in size or amount.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Not large or big; insignificant; few in number.

Examples

  • My shoes are too small. I need new ones.

  • Spenser's mother often scrutinizes him for every small mistake he makes.

At a glance

Sits at A1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • [smoːɫ]
  • /smaːl/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings
  1. Humiliated or insignificant.

  2. Having a small penis, muscles, or other important body parts, regardless of overall body size.

  3. Evincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean.

More examples

In context
  • There are small shops and pavement cafes around every corner.

  • The bullies had succeeded in making him feel small.

  • A small serving of ice cream.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The tiny puppy was so blank that it could fit in the palm of his hand.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English smal, smale, small, smalle, smel, smæl, from Old English smæl (“narrow, slim; slender; fine; small; quiet”), from Proto-West Germanic *smal, from Proto-Germanic *smalaz (“small”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mal- (“small; little”). Cognates Cognate with Scots smaw (“small; minor”), Yola smaale, small (“small”), North Frisian smaal, smeel, smääl (“narrow”), Saterland Frisian smäl (“narrow”), West Frisian smel (“narrow”), Alemannic German schmaal (“narrow”), Bavarian schmoi (“narrow; slender”), Dutch smal (“narrow; small”), German schmal (“narrow; slender”), Low German small (“narrow; slender, small”), Luxembourgish schmuel (“narrow”), Vilamovian śmoł, šmoł (“narrow”), Yi...