Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The state or character of being small, in any sense of that word. Synonyms Pettiness, etc. See
littleness .
Wiktionary
- n. uncountable The state or quality of being small.
- n. countable The result or product of being small.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The quality or state of being small.
WordNet 3.0
- n. the property of being a relatively small amount
- n. the property of having relatively little strength or vigor
- n. lack of generosity in trifling matters
- n. the property of having a relatively small size
Etymologies
- From small + -ness (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Large things tend to be unwieldy, clumsy, crude; smallness is the realm of elegance and grace.”
“For too long, this debate has been stunted by what I call the smallness of our politics – the idea that there isn’t much we can agree on or do about the major challenges facing our country.”
Obama: "The Time Has Come For Universal Health Care In America"
“Republicans would do well to align themselves with "smallness" -- small business, the ordinary worker, and the next generation of Americans who will face diminished opportunities if we don't undergo a serious course correction.”
The Washington Post: Obama's State of the Union address -- and crony capitalism
“They need, however, to be implemented on a grand scale -- not by scaling them up, because their smallness is their beauty and efficiency, but by multiplying them until they become the norm.”
“It adds to the basic concept the notion of smallness (as also in gosling, fledgeling) or the somewhat related notion of contemptible (as in weakling, princeling, hireling).”
“In his "Geometria Practica" (1604) Clavius states among other things a method of dividing a measuring scale into subdivisions of any desired smallness, which is far more complete than that given by Nonius and must be considered as the precursor of the measuring instrument named after Vernier, to which perhaps the name Clavius ought accordingly to be given.”
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 4: Clandestinity-Diocesan Chancery
“The only consequence of their smallness is their inability to perturb others.”
“What! live in chambers?" they exclaim with astonishment and horror, recalling the smallness and cheerless aspect of their husbands 'business chambers.”
“Again, if the inherence be in a part, the same contradiction follows: smallness will be equal to the part or greater than the part; therefore smallness will not inhere in anything, and except the idea of smallness there will be nothing small.”
“It can be hard to draw attention away from the big spenders who have enormous marketing budgets, but remember that your smallness is a plus.”
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