Wiktionary

slightly

English

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Etymology

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From slight +‎ -ly.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈslaɪtli/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -aɪtli
  • Hyphenation: slight‧ly

Adverb

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slightly (comparative more slightly, superlative most slightly)

  1. Slenderly; delicately.
    He was slightly built, but tall.
  2. (degree) To a small extent or degree.
    Synonyms: a little, marginally, somewhat, not much
    Antonyms: quite, very
    He weighed slightly less than his wife who was a foot shorter.
    • 2021 April 23, Ronald Brownstein, “The racist ‘replacement theory’ has it all backward”, in CNN‎[1]:
      And while that number is expected to shift back slightly into positive territory over this decade, fewer children today establishes an unmistakable implication for tomorrow: fewer adults available as consumers, workers and taxpayers.

Usage notes

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Slightly is often used by the English to mean almost the opposite, something like rather. For example, "The big picture here of course is that still staggeringly low numbers of these migrants are being hired though, isn't it? And despite these rather positive tales we've just heard, there seems to be a broader, slightly grimmer picture which perhaps will have a lesson for other countries thinking of receiving migrants." (Ed Butler on BBC Business Daily, Sept. 23, 2016)

Derived terms

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Translations

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