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Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th
little



lit·tle [little littler littlest] adjective, determiner, pronoun, adverb BrE [ˈlɪtl] NAmE [ˈlɪtl]
adjective usually before noun  The forms littler /[ˈlɪtlə(r)] / and littlest /[ˈlɪtlɪst] / are rare. It is more common to use smaller and smallest.
1. not big; small; smaller than others
a little house
a little group of tourists
a little old lady
the classic little black dress
‘Which do you want?’ ‘I'll take the little one.’
She gave a little laugh.
• (BrE)We should manage, with a little bit of luck.
Here's a little something (= a small present) for your birthday.
2. used after an adjective to show affection or dislike, especially in a ↑patronizing way (= one that suggests that you think you are better than sb)
The poor little thing! It's lost its mother.
What a nasty little man!
She's a good little worker.
He'd become quite the little gentleman.
3. young
a little boy/girl
my little brother/sister (= younger brother/sister)
I lived in America when I was little.
4. (of distance or time)short
A little while later the phone rang.
Shall we walk a little way?
5. not important; not serious
I can't remember every little detail.
You soon get used to the little difficulties.
more at great/tall oaks from little acorns grow at oak, (it's) no/little/small wonder (that)… at wonder n.

Word Origin:
Old English lȳtel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch luttel, German dialect lützel.

Thesaurus:
little adj.
1. usually before noun (not usually used in the comparative or superlative)
What a dear little baby!
small • • tiny • • miniature • • compact • • minute • • microscopic
Opp: big, Opp: large
a little/small/tiny/miniature house/town/room
a little/small/tiny/minute/microscopic detail
a little/small/tiny baby/child
Little or small? Small is the most usual opposite of big or large. Little is often used to show how you feel about sb/sth, especially after other adjectives such as ugly, nice or cute.
2. usually before noun (especially spoken)
What a fuss over one little mistake!
small • • slight • • minimal • • marginal • • minor • |usually disapproving trivial • • petty
Opp: big, Opp: great
a little/small/slight/minimal/marginal change/improvement
a little/small/slight/trivial error/mistake/problem
a little/small/slight defect/accident

Example Bank:
He was a nasty little man.
He's still very little and doesn't understand yet.
It was a lovely little village before the war.
Poor little thing! It's broken its wing.
The room was full of funny little animals.
A little boy was standing on the doorstep.
All those problems because of one little mistake!
Here's a little something for your birthday.
I can't remember every little detail.
I give thanks for every little thing.
I was a little bit afraid of him.
It's just one of life's little mysteries.
She wore a version of the classic little black dress.
The system has some odd little quirks.
They lived in a little house just down the valley.
We had a little adventure yesterday.
What a cute little baby!
What a horrible little man!
You wouldn't expect a sweet little old lady to react like that.
You'll feel a little sting.
You'll soon get used to these little difficulties.
a little error/mistake/defect/problem/argument/accident/incident/adventure/mystery/quirk/secret
Idioms:little bird told me little by little
Derived Word:littleness
 
determiner, pronoun
1. used with uncountable nouns to mean ‘not much’
There was little doubt in my mind.
Students have little or no choice in the matter.
I understood little of what he said.
She said little or nothing (= hardly anything) about her experience.
Tell him as little as possible.
2. a littleused with uncountable nouns to mean ‘a small amount’, ‘some’
a little milk/sugar/tea
If you have any spare milk, could you give me a little?
I've only read a little of the book so far.
• (formal)It caused not a little/no little (= a lot of) confusion.
After a little (= a short time) he got up and left.

Word Origin:
Old English lȳtel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch luttel, German dialect lützel.
 
adverb (less, least)
1. not much; only slightly
He is little known as an artist.
I slept very little last night.
Little did I know that this spelled the end of my career.
2. a little (bit) to a small degree
She seemed a little afraid of going inside.
These shoes are a little (bit) too big for me.
• (informal) Everything has become just that little bit harder.
• (formal)She felt tired and more than a little worried.

Word Origin:
Old English lȳtel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch luttel, German dialect lützel.

British/American:
a bit / a little
In BrE it is common to use a bit to mean ‘slightly’ or ‘to a small extent’: These shoes are a bit tight. I’ll be a bit later home tomorrow. Can you turn the volume up a bit?
It is more common in NAmE to say a little, or (informal) a little bit. You can also use these phrases in BrE: These shoes are a little bit too tight. I’ll be a little later home tomorrow. Can you turn the volume up a little bit?
 

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