# Lil

/ˈɫɪɫ/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/lil
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 2. a person's name

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a short name for Lily, Lillian, or similar names.

For teachers: a diminutive or hypocoristic form of the female given names Lillian or Lily.

- Everyone in the family calls her Lil instead of Lillian.
- While her legal documents state Lillian, she has gone by Lil since her early childhood in the village.

## Examples

- He is just a lil guy.
- The artist chose the stage name Lil Blue to reflect his humble beginnings in the local music scene.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.