Meanings
plural smallnesses · alternative smallnesse
- uncountableThe state or quality of being small.
His smallness didn't bother him, except when he needed something off the top shelf.
3 more examples
The exiguity and ſmallneſſe of ſome ſeeds extending to large productions is one of the magnalities of nature, ſomewhat illuſtrating the work of the Creation, and vaſt production from nothing.
1658, Thomas Browne, “The Garden of Cyrus. […]. Chapter III.”, in Hydriotaphia, Urne-buriall, […] Together with The Garden of Cyrus, […], London: […] Hen[ry] Brome […], →OCLC, page 136My hand was lifted at her door to knock, when I recollected the smallness of the island. We could never hide ourselves upon it.
1904, Jack London, chapter 32, in The Sea-Wolf (Macmillan’s Standard Library), New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, →OCLCMr. Howden forcibly expressed his view that the U.T.A. [Ulster Transport Authority] rail system "had reached the limit of its smallness".
1963 January, “The Irish scene”, in Modern Railways, page 16 - countableThe result or product of being small.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounlack of generosity in trifling matters
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishsmalnesse
- Englishsmallness
From Middle English smalnesse; equivalent to small + -ness.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek μικρότης
- μικρότης (mikrótēs)state of being small
Arabic صِغَر
- صِغَر (ṣiḡar)state of being small
Catalan petitesa
- petitesastate of being small
Esperanto eteco
- etecostate of being small
Finnish pienuus
- pienuusstate of being small
French petitesse
- petitessestate of being small
German Kleinheit
- Kleinheitstate of being small
Hindi अल्पता
- अल्पता (alpatā)state of being small
Icelandic smæð
- smæðstate of being small
Irish laghad
- laghadstate of being small
Italian piccolezza
- piccolezzastate of being small
Latin parvitās
- parvitāsstate of being small
Polish małość
- małośćstate of being small
Portuguese pequenez, pequeneza
- pequenezstate of being small
- pequenezastate of being small
Romanian micime
- micimestate of being small
Russian ма́лость, ме́лкость
- ма́лость (málostʹ)state of being small
- ме́лкость (mélkostʹ)state of being small
Spanish pequeñez, menudencia
- pequeñezstate of being small
- menudenciastate of being small
Turkish küçüklük
- küçüklükstate of being small
Zulu ubuncane
- ubuncanestate of being small
Cite this entry
smallness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smallness
“smallness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smallness. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “smallness,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smallness.
Source: smallness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.