littleness

noun

Definition of littlenessnext
1
as in smallness
the quality or state of being little in size the littleness of the painting hardly gives any indication of its price—which is a fortune

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in negligibility
the quality or state of being unimportant you can hardly imagine the appalling littleness of the stuff that she obsesses over

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 littleness What our understanding of pedantry does have in common with earlier ones is the association with intellectual littleness. — Clare Bucknell, The New York Review of Books, 27 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for littleness
  1. smallness
  2. insignificance
  3. fineness
  4. pettiness
Noun
  • On Cape Ann, Rothko and Gottlieb thought a lot about the sun, as well as the sea, the sky, and the smallness of human life.
    — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Both Drake and Lütke rejected Canadian smallness, the reflex that says our cities are minor markets, our companies are acquisition targets, and our culture is a regional dialect of America's.
    — Kumaran Nadesan, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of smallness
Noun
  • The rooms were part of Kusama’s ongoing exploration of self-obliteration and her career-long ambition to create work that provokes a keen awareness of both one’s individual insignificance and place in the wider cosmic system.
    — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Artist Meredith Reynolds believed Platner’s past paled into insignificance when compared with his opponents.
    — David Millward, The Washington Examiner, 7 June 2026
Definition of insignificance
Noun
  • In this find, the dirhams were cut into smaller pieces and used as a means of payment, with their value linked to the weight and fineness of the silver.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The fineness of the line between the two genres indicates that in her work overall, change is a matter of gradations.
    — Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026
Definition of fineness
Noun
  • Also forbidden was anything that emphasized the suffering of soldiers or revealed the pettiness of commanders.
    — Nick Holdstock, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Selfishness and pettiness are not twentieth century inventions.
    — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 13 July 2026
Definition of pettiness

Browse Nearby Words

little men
littleness
little people
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Littleness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/littleness. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All