slightness

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈslaɪtnəs/ UK /ˈslaɪtnəs/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
the quality of being small, slender, or insignificant

The slightness of her frame belied her physical strength.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the quality of being small,... smallness slenderness insignificance triviality scantiness

Opposites

largeness significance substantiality

Word family

Related forms slight slightly

Etymology

From slight (from Old Norse slettr 'smooth, flat, slight') plus the native noun suffix -ness.

slettr Old Norse

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# slightness

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˈslaɪtnəs
**IPA (UK):** ˈslaɪtnəs

## Meanings
1. the quality of being small, slender, or insignificant

## Examples
- The slightness of her frame belied her physical strength.

## Synonyms
- smallness
- slenderness
- insignificance
- triviality
- scantiness

## Antonyms
- largeness
- significance
- substantiality

## Related Forms
- slight
- slightly

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: slettr

## Etymology
From slight (from Old Norse slettr 'smooth, flat, slight') plus the native noun suffix -ness.

## AI Etymology
Slightness comes from slight (from Old Norse slettr 'smooth, flat, slight') plus the native noun suffix -ness. The historical chain includes Old Norse slettr. Older glosses in the chain include "smooth, flat, slight", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, slightness is best read as suffixal formation and borrowing, yielding an English noun shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a noun, with the sense "the quality of being small, slender, or insignificant". related forms include slight and slightly. The result is an English noun whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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