Meaning of little in English

(A) little and (a) few are quantifiers meaning ‘some’. Little and few have negative meanings. We use them to mean ‘not as much as may be expected or wished for’. …

We use a little with singular uncountable nouns. We use a few with plural countable nouns: …

We use little with uncountable nouns. We use few with plural countable nouns. They are used in formal contexts: …

We can use (a) little and (a) few as pronouns. We can use them to substitute for a noun when it is obvious from the context: …

We use of with (a) little and (a) few when they come before articles (a/an, the), demonstratives (this, that), possessives (my, your) or pronouns (him, them): …

We use a little as an adverb of degree. It is more formal than a bit: …

We use a little before adjectives and adverbs to modify them. It is more formal than a bit: …

not great in size, amount, etc.

Idioms

a little bird told me

make little of something

little

determiner

/ˈlɪt̬.əl/ uk

/ˈlɪt.əl/

little determiner (NOT ENOUGH)

not much or enough:

There seems little hope of a ceasefire.

They have very little money.

There's so little choice.

More examplesFewer examples

The new building has little aesthetic value.
There's very little communication between mother and daughter .
The hut afforded little protection from the elements.
The money was of little consequence to Tony.
Too little exercise is a contributory factor in heart disease.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Scarce, inadequate and not enough

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little determiner (SMALL AMOUNT)

a little

a small amount of something:

This sauce needs a little salt.

With a little training she could do very well.

Can I give you a little advice?

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

smallI live in a small town.
littleShe's a good little girl.
a littleI just want a little ice cream.
a little (bit)I was a little bit upset that she ate the last piece of cake.
tinyHis body was covered in tiny red spots.

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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Words meaning small pieces and amounts

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Grammar

(A) little and (a) few are quantifiers meaning ‘some’. Little and few have negative meanings. We use them to mean ‘not as much as may be expected or wished for’. …

We use a little with singular uncountable nouns. We use a few with plural countable nouns: …

We use little with uncountable nouns. We use few with plural countable nouns. They are used in formal contexts: …

We can use (a) little and (a) few as pronouns. We can use them to substitute for a noun when it is obvious from the context: …

We use of with (a) little and (a) few when they come before articles (a/an, the), demonstratives (this, that), possessives (my, your) or pronouns (him, them): …

We use a little as an adverb of degree. It is more formal than a bit: …

We use a little before adjectives and adverbs to modify them. It is more formal than a bit: …

little

pronoun, noun

/ˈlɪt̬.əl/ uk

/ˈlɪt.əl/

little pronoun, noun (SMALL AMOUNT)

B1 [ S ]

a small amount:

I could only hear a little of what they were saying.

He does as little as possible at work.

There's not much flour left but you're welcome to the/what little there is.

More examplesFewer examples

We ate a little of the bread.
He gave us a little of his money.
I already knew a little of what he had to say.
She eats as little as she can.
You can see what little I have.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Words meaning small pieces and amounts

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little pronoun, noun (NOT ENOUGH)

an amount that is not much or not enough:

We did very little on Sunday.

Very little of what he said made any sense to me.

Unfortunately, little of the artist's work has survived.

The government has done little or nothing to help the poorest people in this country.

The little we do know about the people who lived here suggests they had a very sophisticated society.

More examplesFewer examples

I spent most of my money in the first week and consequently had very little to eat by the end of the vacation.
Very little of his art appeals to me.
Little of what she said seemed relevant.
They have done little to improve their situation.
We can do very little to help them.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Scarce, inadequate and not enough

See more results »

Grammar

(A) little and (a) few are quantifiers meaning ‘some’. Little and few have negative meanings. We use them to mean ‘not as much as may be expected or wished for’. …

We use a little with singular uncountable nouns. We use a few with plural countable nouns: …

We use little with uncountable nouns. We use few with plural countable nouns. They are used in formal contexts: …

We can use (a) little and (a) few as pronouns. We can use them to substitute for a noun when it is obvious from the context: …

We use of with (a) little and (a) few when they come before articles (a/an, the), demonstratives (this, that), possessives (my, your) or pronouns (him, them): …

We use a little as an adverb of degree. It is more formal than a bit: …

We use a little before adjectives and adverbs to modify them. It is more formal than a bit: …

little

adverb

/ˈlɪt̬.əl/ uk

/ˈlɪt.əl/

little adverb (SMALL AMOUNT)

a little (bit)

slightly:

I was a little bit worried by what she said.

little by little

slowly or gradually:

Little by little she came to understand why he had behaved the way he did.

little adverb (NOT MUCH)

not much:

She slept very little that night.

a little-known fact

Little did he know what lay in store for him.

little more/better

not much more or better:

The wine they gave us was little better than vinegar.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Scarce, inadequate and not enough

See more results »

Grammar

(A) little and (a) few are quantifiers meaning ‘some’. Little and few have negative meanings. We use them to mean ‘not as much as may be expected or wished for’. …

We use a little with singular uncountable nouns. We use a few with plural countable nouns: …

We use little with uncountable nouns. We use few with plural countable nouns. They are used in formal contexts: …

We can use (a) little and (a) few as pronouns. We can use them to substitute for a noun when it is obvious from the context: …

We use of with (a) little and (a) few when they come before articles (a/an, the), demonstratives (this, that), possessives (my, your) or pronouns (him, them): …

We use a little as an adverb of degree. It is more formal than a bit: …

We use a little before adjectives and adverbs to modify them. It is more formal than a bit: …