Slight inattention can cause a great disaster.
Source: tatoeba (18856)
Slight
/slaɪt/
Synonyms for "slight" (512 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (103)
Noun(12 words)
abstemiousadulteratedaffrontairyankle deepankle-deepasceticasinineattentiveattenuateattenuatedausterebantambe blind tobe caught outbe inattentivebe unwarybelittleblinkblink at
Show 65 more words
boyishbreakablebring downbring into discreditbring lowbrittlecarefully ignorecatchpennycheap-jackcobwebbycold shouldercold-shouldercoldnessconnive atcontemncrampedcrumblycry downculpaculpable negligencecursorycutcut a cornercut cornerscut deadcut directdaintydebasedecrydefaultdegradedelicatedelicately weakdelinquencydepreciatedepthlessderelictionderidederogate fromdespisedespitedetract fromdiaphanousdilutediluteddiminishdiminutivedinkydisapprove ofdisconformitydiscountdiscreditdisdaindisgracedishonordismissdisparagedisregarddisrespectdodgedwarfeddwarfisheffeminateelideempty
Strong matches (153)
Adjective(25 words)
entsyfaintfaint tracefaintestfeeblestflimsyfractional listfragileimperceptiblelight tuglittlelittle earthlinglow-grademiffedmild punishmentminimal extentminor aspectminor blemishminor colorminor disagreement
Show 5 more words
minor driftminor effectminor pointminor segmentminor shove
epidermaletherealexiguousfailfailurefaintfatfatuousfeeblefinefine drawnfine-drawnfinespunfirstflimsyfloutfoolishforgetfragilefrail
Show 90 more words
frangiblefribblefribblingfrivolousfrothyfrugalfudgefutilegaseousgauzygimcrackgimcrackygirlishgive no heedgive the go-bygossamergossamerygracilehalf pinthalf-pinthear nothinghit the high spotshold in contempthold in derisionhumiliationidleignoreill-treatmentimmaterialimperceptibleimpoverishedinadequateinadvertenceinadvertencyinaneinattentioninconsequentialindifferenceindifferentindignityinfinitesimalinjureinobservanceinsecureinsignificantinsipidinsubstantialinsultintangiblejejunejerryjerry builtjerry-builtknee deepknee highknee-deepknee-highknockknock downlacheslacylaissez fairelaissez-fairelapselaugh atlaugh to scornlaxitylaxnessleanleave well enough alonelentenlet passlet well enough alonelightlightweightlimitedlithelittlelook right throughlook the other wayloosenessmake light ofmake little ofmarginalmeagermeanmentionminiatureminimizeminor
Noun(16 words)
Related words (256)
Adjective(22 words)
minor surface scratchneglignegligible impactoffendingslenderslimsmall differencesmall favorsmall pushsubtle hintsveltetenuousthinthin layerthin linetiny humantiny organismtiny sizetrace amountsultrasmall
Show 2 more words
weak degreewisplike
minutemiserlymissmistymoderatemortifynamby pambynamby-pambynarrowneglectneglectfulnessnegligencenegligibleniceniggardlynoddingnonadherencenoncompliancenonconformancenonconformity
Show 192 more words
nonfeasancenonfulfillmentnoninterferencenonobservancenonperformancenonrestrictionnot attendnot deepnot heednot listennot noticenugaciousnugatoryoffoffenceoffendomissionomiton the surfaceone horseone-horseotioseoutrageoutsideoverlookoverlookingoverpassoversightpaltrypaperyparsimoniouspasspass bypass overpass over lightlypass uppasteboardypay no attentionpay no attention topay no mindperceptiblepermissivenesspetitepettypiddlingpindlingpint sizedpint-sizedpocketpocket-sizedpokypooh poohpooh-poohpoorpoor stewardshipprecariousprocrastinationpunyput downrarerarefiedrebuffreedyreflect discredit uponrefuse to acknowledgerefuse to recognizeremissnessremoterepulsericketyrun downscampscantscantyscoffscoff atscornscoutscrawnyscrimpscrimpysee nothingset at defianceshallowshallow-rootedshatteryshoalshortsillysissifiedskimskim overskim the surfaceskimpskimpyskin deepskin-deepskipskip overslacknesssleazyslenderslenderishslight overslight-madeslimslimmishslinkyslubber overslurslur oversmallsmallishsneersniffsnortsnubsparesparingspartanspeak ill ofspurnspurningstarvationstingystintedstraitenedstuntedsubmit to indignitysubsistencesubtilesubtlesuperficialsurfacesveltesylphliketackytenuousthe cold shoulderthe go-bythinthin-bodiedthin-setthin-spunthink little ofthinnedthinned-outthinnishthreadliketinytokentouch upontouch upon lightlytracetreat with contempttriflingtritetrivialtrivializetwiggytwo-by-fouruncompactuncompressedundersizedunlikelyunnourishingunnutritiousunobservanceunprofoundunrigorousnessunstableunsubstantialvacuousvaguevainvapidvaporousvest-pocketwasp waistedwasp-waistedwateredwatered downwatered-downwateryweakweewillowywindywink atwiredrawnwispywomanish
Noun(19 words)
Adjective(1 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: offense, abstemious, adulterated, affront, affronted.
- Sentence evidence is available for slight, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from derived_reverse, moby, opengloss, wordnet, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "slight".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "slight"
Keep "slight" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "slight" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "slight", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "slight" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
20 entriesamountappearancebody typebrush asidebrush offdegreediscountdiscourtesydismissdisregarddisrespectextentignoremeasureoffenceoffense
Showing 16 of 20 words.
More specific
13 entriesCollocations
11 entriesperceived slightslight amountslight breezeslight chanceslight declineslight decreaseslight differenceslight improvementslight increaseslight mistakeslight pause
Inflections
5 entriesDerivations
5 entriessimilar
7 entriesTranslations
63 translations across 22 languages.
Arabic
1 entries- طَفِيف adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Bulgarian
2 entries- малък adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- незначителен adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Catalan
2 entries- dèbil adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- feble adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 輕微的 /轻微的 adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Czech
3 entries- drobný adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- maličký adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- nepatrný adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Dutch
1 entries- onbeduidend adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Finnish
4 entries- heikko adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- hienoinen adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- lievä adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- pieni adj (small in amount, insignificant)
French
2 entries- insignifiant adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- léger adj (small in amount, insignificant)
German
4 entries- gering adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- geringfügig adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- klein adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- leicht adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Hindi
1 entries- थोड़ा adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Hungarian
4 entries- csekély adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- jelentéktelen adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- kevés adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- kevéske adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Italian
4 entries- debole adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- insignificante adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- leggero adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- lieve adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Japanese
4 entries- つまらない adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- 些細な adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- 僅な adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- 末梢的な adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Korean
1 entries- 약간의 adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Latin
1 entries- sublestus adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Polish
2 entries- drobny adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- mały adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Portuguese
3 entries- insignificante adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- leve adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- ligeiro adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Russian
1 entries- незначи́тельный adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- bȅznačājan adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- бе̏знача̄јан adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Spanish
4 entries- insignificante adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- lene adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- leve adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- lieve adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Swedish
1 entries- obetydlig adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Ukrainian
3 entries- легкий adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- незначний adj (small in amount, insignificant)
- слабкий adj (small in amount, insignificant)
Sample sentences
39 total sentences available.
We had a slight difference of opinion.
Source: tatoeba (23489)
I have a sore throat and a slight fever.
Source: tatoeba (35761)
I had a slight accident while trekking in Nepal.
Source: tatoeba (35783)
Showing 4 of 39 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "slight"?
Closest matches include offense, abstemious, adulterated, affront, affronted.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "slight"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.