Definition

Adverb: 1. To a small degree or extent; somewhat: Used to indicate that something is true or exists to a small, often barely noticeable, degree. 2. In a slim or slender manner: Describes a physical build that is thin or delicate.

Usage and Examples

• To a small degree:
  • The door was slightly open.
  • I'm feeling slightly better today.
  • The recipe needs to be slightly adjusted.
• In a slender manner (less common):
  • She was slightly built, able to slip through the narrow gap.

Advanced Usage

• "Slightly more/less than": Used for small comparative differences.
  • It costs slightly more than the other model.
• "Ever so slightly": An emphatic form to stress the smallness of the degree.
  • He tilted his head ever so slightly.

Variants and Related Words

• Slight (adjective): Small in degree; not serious or significant.
  • There's a slight chance of rain.
  • He felt a slight pain.
• Slightness (noun): The quality of being small in degree or amount.

Synonyms

• Somewhat
• A little
• A bit
• Marginally
• Faintly

Antonyms

• Considerably
• Greatly
• Substantially
• Very much

Notes on Meaning

The primary and most frequent meaning is "to a small degree". The meaning related to physical slenderness ("slightly built") is a specific, less common usage. The word often softens a statement, making it less absolute or critical.

Adverb

1. in a slim or slender manner
   • a slenderly built woman
   • slightly built
2. to a small degree or extent
   • his arguments were somewhat self-contradictory
   • the children argued because one slice of cake was slightly larger than the other