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slight

adj. · v. · n.
US //ˈsɫaɪt// UK //slˈaɪt// slight
  1. 1 small in amount (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate

    small in amount or degree; not very important or strong.

    small in amount, degree, or importance; often used to describe changes, differences, or physical sensations.

    Example

    There has been a slight change to our travel plans for tomorrow.

    Example

    The researchers noted a slight but statistically significant improvement in patient outcomes following the implementation of the new protocol.
  2. 2 thin or slender (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    having a thin and delicate body.

    having a slender or delicate physical build.

    Example

    She was a slight woman, but she was surprisingly strong.

    Example

    Despite his slight frame, the young gymnast possessed remarkable upper-body strength and agility on the rings.
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  1. 3 to ignore or disrespect (v.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    to treat someone as if they are not important, often by ignoring them.

    to treat someone or something with disdain or neglect; to fail to show proper respect or attention.

    Example

    He felt that his boss had slighted him by not inviting him to the meeting.

    Example

    The diplomat felt slighted when he was seated at the far end of the table, away from the primary negotiators.

    Usage

    This is a transitive verb and requires a direct object.
  2. 4 an insult or snub (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    an action or remark that insults someone, usually by ignoring them.

    an instance of being treated with discourtesy or a lack of due respect; a deliberate snub.

    Example

    She took his failure to reply to her email as a personal slight.

    Example

    The omission of her name from the list of contributors was viewed by many as a calculated slight by the editorial board.
Origin

From Middle English slight, with senses ranging from "slender" and "smooth" through "trivial" and "of poor quality". That range — physical sleekness shading into moral dismissiveness — was already present in Old English sliht, "smooth, level", which descended from Proto-Germanic \slihtaz, meaning "slippery, flat, level, plain". Related to slick*, sharing that surface quality that slips away under the hand.

Cognates trace the same split. German keeps both directions: schlecht for "bad" and schlicht for "plain, artless". Dutch slecht and Low German slecht follow the pejorative path. Scots slicht means "bad, of poor quality", and West Frisian sljocht preserves the older breadth: "smooth, level, plain, simple". The Scandinavian languages split too: Swedish slät and Norwegian slett keep the physical, while Danish slet has moved toward "bad, evil, wrong". Only Icelandic sléttur, "even, smooth, level", retains the flat surface without the moral slip.

Word family
Idioms1 entry

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