What does "small" mean?
One of several common sizes to which an item may be manufactured, smaller than a medium.
Small
/smɔl/ adj, adv, name, noun, verb
adj, adv, name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One of several common sizes to which an item may be manufactured, smaller than a medium.
- Grammar: small is listed as adj, adv, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abject, abominable, abstemious, airy.
- Useful contrasts: deep, full, large.
- Usage evidence: My shoes are too small. I need new ones.
How to use "small"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "small" 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 "small" 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 "small" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "small" 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 "small" is acting as adj, adv, 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 "abject" 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 "small", 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 One of several common sizes to which an item may be manufactured, smaller than a medium. especially, noun-from-verb, uncountable
- 2 a garment size for a small person wordnet
- 3 An item labelled or denoted as being that size. countable, especially, noun-from-verb
"Two smalls and a large, please."
- 4 the slender part of the back wordnet
- 5 One who fits an item of that size. countable, especially, noun-from-verb
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back. countable, noun-from-verb, rare
"I got a splitting pain in the small of my back"
Verb
- 1 To make little or less. noun-from-verb, obsolete, transitive
- 2 To become small; to dwindle. intransitive, noun-from-verb
"And smalled till she was nought at all."
Adjective
- 1 Not large or big; insignificant; few in number.
"A small serving of ice cream."
- 2 Not large or big; insignificant; few in number.; Humiliated or insignificant.
"The bullies had succeeded in making him feel small."
- 3 Not large or big; insignificant; few in number.; Having a small penis, muscles, or other important body parts, regardless of overall body size.
"(of genitals)"
- 4 Young, as a child. figuratively, not-comparable
"Remember when the children were small?"
- 5 Minuscule or lowercase, referring to written or printed letters. not-comparable
""I've got catholic tastes. Catholic with a small "c", of course.""
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 Evincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean.
"A true delineation of the smallest man is capable of interesting the greatest man."
- 7 Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.
"a small space of time"
- 8 Synonym of little (“of an industry or institution(s) therein: operating on a small scale, unlike larger counterparts”).
"small science"
- 9 Slender, gracefully slim. archaic
- 10 That is small (the manufactured size). especially
"I'll have a small coffee, thanks."
Adjective
- 1 made to seem smaller or less (especially in worth) wordnet
- 2 limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent wordnet
- 3 relatively moderate, limited, or small wordnet
- 4 (of a voice) faint wordnet
- 5 lowercase wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 not large but sufficient in size or amount wordnet
- 7 slight or limited; especially in degree or intensity or scope wordnet
- 8 (of children and animals) young, immature wordnet
- 9 have fine or very small constituent particles wordnet
- 10 low or inferior in station or quality wordnet
Adverb
- 1 In a small fashion
"Don't write very small!"
- 2 In or into small pieces.
"That's going to go in there. We've got some chives small chopped as well."
- 3 To a small extent. obsolete
"It small avails my mood."
- 4 In a low tone; softly. obsolete
"That's all one: you shall play it in a mask, and / you may speak as small as you will."
Adverb
- 1 on a small scale wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
"“People have biases towards species that are glamorous,” said Dr. Ernie Small, author of the study and taxonomist for Agriculture Canada."
Example
"My shoes are too small. I need new ones."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "small"?
Common synonyms include: abject, abominable, abstemious, airy, arrant, ascetic.
How do you use "small" in a sentence?
My shoes are too small. I need new ones.
How do you pronounce "small"?
Pronounced /smɔl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English smal, from Old English smæl (“small, narrow, slender”), from Proto-Germanic *smalaz (“small”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mal-, *(s)mel- (“small, mean, malicious”). Cognate with Scots smal; sma (“small”); West Frisian smel (“narrow”); Dutch smal (“narrow”); German schmal (“narrow, small”); Low German small (“narrow”); Danish, Norwegian, Swedish smal (“narrow; thin; slender”); Latin malus (“bad”); Russian ма́лый (mályj, “small”).
Etymology 2
Inherited from Old English smæl (“small”). Compare Smail. First attested in the 1200s.