What does "slight" mean?
The act of ignoring or snubbing; a deliberate act of neglect or discourtesy.
Slight
/slaɪt/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of ignoring or snubbing; a deliberate act of neglect or discourtesy.
- Grammar: slight is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: offense, abstemious, adulterated, affront.
- Useful contrasts: important, plentiful, big.
- Usage evidence: Slight inattention can cause a great disaster.
How to use "slight"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "slight" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "slight" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "slight" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "slight" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "slight" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "offense" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "slight", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of ignoring or snubbing; a deliberate act of neglect or discourtesy.
"Never use a slighting expression to her, even in jest; for slights in jest, after frequent bandyings, are apt to end in angry earnest."
- 2 a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval) wordnet
- 3 Sleight. obsolete
"For till that stownd could never wight him harme, By subtilty, nor slight, nor might, nor mighty charme."
Verb
- 1 To treat as unimportant or not worthy of attention; to make light of. transitive
"the wretch who slights the bounty of the skies"
- 2 pay no attention to, disrespect wordnet
- 3 To give lesser weight or importance to. transitive
"Incontiguously (accent on tig; the rest of the syllables slighted) means in an incontiguous manner."
- 4 To treat (someone or something) with disdain or neglect, usually out of prejudice, hatred, or jealousy; to ignore disrespectfully; to skimp on one's duties toward. transitive
"Though true of heart, she was somewhat of a coquette in manner; and I was jealous as a Turk. She slighted me in a thousand ways, yet would never acknowledge herself to be in the wrong. She would drive me mad with anger, and then force me to beg her pardon."
- 5 To act negligently or carelessly. intransitive
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To render no longer defensible by full or partial demolition. transitive
"When the parliament had finished the war , they reduced and slighted most of the inland garrison"
- 7 To make even or level. obsolete, transitive
"After your ground is sowne and harrowed, you shall then clotte it, sleight it, and smooth it."
- 8 To throw heedlessly. transitive
"The rogue slighted me into the river."
Adjective
- 1 Minor; small in amount; Gentle or weak, not aggressive or powerful.
"give it a slight kick"
- 2 Minor; small in amount; Not thorough; superficial.
"make a slight examination"
- 3 Minor; small in amount; Trifling; unimportant; insignificant.
"we made a slight mistake"
- 4 Minor; small in amount; Not far away in space or time. archaic, rare
"in the slight future"
- 5 Of slender build.
"a slight but graceful woman"
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 Even, smooth or level. regional
"A slight stone"
- 7 Still; with little or no movement on the surface. especially
"The sea was slight and calm"
- 8 Foolish; silly; not intellectual. obsolete
"But no beast ever was so slight, For man, as for his god, to fight; They have more wit, alas! and know Themselves and us better than so."
- 9 Bad, of poor quality. obsolete, regional
"1889 (first published), George Washington, Writings we frequently have slight Goods and sometimes old and unsaleable Articles"
- 10 Slighting; treating with disdain. dated
"This slight way of treating both his book and his ancestors nettled little Puddock – who never himself took a liberty, and expected similar treatment – but he knew Sturk, the nature of the beast, and he only bowed grandly […]"
Adjective
- 1 being of delicate or slender build wordnet
- 2 (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with ‘a’) at least some wordnet
- 3 lacking substance or significance wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from Middle English.
Example
"Slight inattention can cause a great disaster."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "slight"?
Common synonyms include: offense, abstemious, adulterated, affront, affronted, affronts.
How do you use "slight" in a sentence?
Slight inattention can cause a great disaster.
How do you pronounce "slight"?
Pronounced /slaɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English slight (“bad, of poor quality, unimportant, trivial, slender, slim, smooth, level”), from Old English sliht (“smooth, level”), from Proto-Germanic *slihtaz (“slippery, flat, level, plain”), related to English slick. Cognate with Scots slicht (“bad, of poor quality”), West Frisian sljocht (“smooth, level, plain, simple”), Dutch slecht (“bad”), Low German slecht (“bad”), German schlecht (“bad”) and schlicht (“plain, artless, natural”), Danish slet (“bad, evil, poor, nasty, wrong”), Swedish slät (“smooth”), Norwegian slett (“even”), Icelandic sléttur (“even, smooth, level”).
Etymology 2
Scottish surname from Middle English slight (“smooth; slim, slender, skinny”), a nickname for a slim or skinny person.