SLIGHT Synonyms: 546 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'slight' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of slight are slender , slim , tenuous , and thin . While all these words mean "not thick, broad, abundant, or dense," slight implies smallness as well as thinness. // a slight build

Q: When is 'slender' a more appropriate choice than 'slight'?

While in some cases nearly identical to slight , slender implies leanness or spareness often with grace and good proportion. // the slender legs of a Sheraton chair

Q: When would 'slim' be a good substitute for 'slight'?

The words slim and slight can be used in similar contexts, but slim applies to slenderness that suggests fragility or scantiness. // a slim volume of poetry // a slim chance

Q: When might 'tenuous' be a better fit than 'slight'?

The synonyms tenuous and slight are sometimes interchangeable, but tenuous implies extreme thinness, sheerness, or lack of substance and firmness. // a tenuous thread

Q: When is it sensible to use 'thin' instead of 'slight'?

The meanings of thin and slight largely overlap; however, thin implies comparatively little extension between surfaces or in diameter, or it may imply lack of substance, richness, or abundance. // thin wire // a thin soup

slight 1 of 3

adjective

ˈslīt

Definition of slight

as in weak

lacking bodily strength a small lad with a slight build

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in minor

lacking importance a slight comedy that did nothing to further her career

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in little

of a size that is less than average the slight youth packed a surprisingly solid punch

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in nominal

so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention apart from a slight fishy taste, the dish was fine

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in small

small in degree only a slight chance of success

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

slight

2 of 3

noun

as in insult

an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings refused to respond to their petty slights

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

slight

3 of 3

verb

as in to insult

to cause hurt feelings or deep resentment in the dancers felt slighted by the harsh comments of the judges

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to isolate

to deliberately ignore or treat rudely as a temp worker, she often feels slighted by the people she has to work with

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as in to disdain

to show contempt for music critics who slight any style of music that doesn't fit their personal taste

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to ignore

to fail to give proper attention to slighted several major authors in her survey of 20th-century fiction

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective slight contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of slight are slender, slim, tenuous, and thin. While all these words mean "not thick, broad, abundant, or dense," slight implies smallness as well as thinness.

a slight build

When is slender a more appropriate choice than slight?

While in some cases nearly identical to slight, slender implies leanness or spareness often with grace and good proportion.

the slender legs of a Sheraton chair

When would slim be a good substitute for slight?

The words slim and slight can be used in similar contexts, but slim applies to slenderness that suggests fragility or scantiness.

a slim volume of poetry

a slim chance

When might tenuous be a better fit than slight?

The synonyms tenuous and slight are sometimes interchangeable, but tenuous implies extreme thinness, sheerness, or lack of substance and firmness.

a tenuous thread

When is it sensible to use thin instead of slight?

The meanings of thin and slight largely overlap; however, thin implies comparatively little extension between surfaces or in diameter, or it may imply lack of substance, richness, or abundance.

thin wire

a thin soup

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of slight

Adjective

The slight improvement is what U-M economists credit with July’s month-over-month boost of nearly 12 percent. — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 7 Aug. 2026 Oil and bonds are a slight headwind, with energy prices moving higher as the market awaits more clarity on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow safe passage of oil tankers. — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026

Noun

On Thursday, July 2, the evening before the wedding, Gomez wore a strapless black dress with a thigh-high slight by the same dress designer for Swift and Kelce's rehearsal dinner at Madison Square Garden. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026 Instead of demanding personal fealty or humiliating them to assert personal dominance, Lincoln absorbed their egos and occasional slights, elevating their talents and turning his fiercest political adversaries into his most devoted champions. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 June 2026

Verb

Romano’s sturdy book may not stint on examples of Mary’s bad behavior—including a ferociously jealous verbal assault, near the end of the war, on the wife of a prominent Union general—but the biographer keeps tilting against those who slighted Mary in even the most superficial ways. — Thomas Mallon, New Yorker, 18 May 2026 Santa Clara’s Levi Stadium got particularly slighted, with nobody in the top 18 of the FIFA world rankings for any of its five group stage dates. — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for slight

Recent Examples of Synonyms for slight

Adjective

Many forex brokers respond to weak rankings by publishing more market guides, adding country pages and building links.

— David Ispiryan, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Slow money growth means weak nominal growth and low inflation, which in turn keeps interest rates and bond yields depressed—and the yen weak.

— Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of weak

Adjective

Orlando’s best chance of the first half came in the 31st minute when Simone Jackson hit the crossbar, but the Pride managed little else going forward and went into the break trailing.

— Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2026
An apologetic statement this week and commitment to not letting history repeat itself has, though, done little to placate the intensifying scrutiny of his leadership.

— Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of little

Adjective

Rather than source a direct, probably expensive, replacement in the market, Carrick fielded a fluid front four on Saturday, with Bryan Mbeumo deputising as the nominal forward.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
United Russia, the country’s nominal ruling party, was never built to designate an heir; rather, it was meant to ensure that elections produced reliably pro-regime seat-fillers in institutions such as parliament.

— Julian G. Waller, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of nominal

Adjective

These vines will also happily wind their way around tree trunks and shrubs and fix themselves in place with small rootlets that take on a hairy appearance as poison ivy plants mature.

— Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2026
Tidy a corner and play a favorite song, letting a small routine remind everyone that care comes through simple, repeatable acts.

— Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of small

Noun

There’s blood and insults and exasperation and pain and horror.

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
The amendment aims to prevent players from hiding insults or other abuse — including discriminatory remarks — behind their hand, arm or jersey.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of insult

Verb

She’s seen students disappointed by the state’s rejection of an AP African American history course and English teachers strategically pick books that wouldn’t offend the governor’s sensibilities.

— Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2026
The relationship between the board and the community has gotten so contentious that Licata told the hundreds in attendance at an April board meeting that comments made toward the board offended him.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of offend

Verb

Rice University researchers have found a way to isolate a single magnetic domain in manganese telluride, giving them a clearer view of its magnetic structure and a new way to control an electrical effect in the material.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
Some of them, like Kirwin—a former gold and silver boomtown deep in the Absaroka Mountains—are impossibly isolated, accessible only by ATV.

— Téa Obreht, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of isolate

Browse Nearby Words

sliding

slight

slighted

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Slight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slight. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of slight

adjective

noun

verb

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Synonyms of slight

adjective

noun

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Articles Related to slight

‘Sleight’ or ‘Slight’ of Hand?

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on slight

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

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Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes