Small, little, diminutive, minute, tiny, miniature mean noticeably below average in size We use them to mean ‘not as much as may be expected or wished for’. Small and little are often interchangeable, but small applies more to relative size determined by capacity, value, number.
Small in size or amount Little and few have negative meanings A small amount of food or drink
A small quantity or amount Something much less than all I know little of their history A short distance or time
A little down the road Little look up little or little in wiktionary, the free dictionary Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Little (comparative less or lesser or littler, superlative least or littlest) small in size
It’s only a little way now You are a little, little man, she proclaimed, staring obviously below my waist as she pronounced the second little. it was almost disappointing. There are 50 meanings listed in oed's entry for the word little, four of which are labelled obsolete See ‘meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
Short in extent or duration Some common synonyms of little are diminutive, miniature, minute, small, and tiny While all these words mean noticeably below average in size, little is more absolute in implication often carrying the idea of petiteness, pettiness, insignificance, or immaturity. It costs as little as one dollar
(a) little and (a) few are quantifiers meaning ‘some’
