slightly

«slightly» in Mova's school dictionary: a little bit, not very much — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

adverb (slightly)

meaning for a pupil

1) Slightly means a little bit, not very much. tree →

2) Slightly can mean in a small or thin way, as in «slightly built» for a small, thin person. tree →

sense in the lessons

In maths and science, «slightly» means a small difference: «slightly more» or «slightly heavier». In stories, it shows small changes, like a door «slightly open». In everyday life, it makes words softer: «slightly late». Phrases: «slightly more», «slightly less», «slightly different».

examples

• The door was slightly open. tree →
• My jumper is slightly too big. tree →
• This box is slightly heavier than that one. tree →
• She was slightly late for school. tree →
• Turn the dial slightly to the left. tree →
• The two answers are slightly different. tree →
• The water was slightly warm. tree →
• He felt slightly better after a rest. tree →
• She was slightly inclined to embonpoint. tree →

note

Adverb made from «slight» + -ly. «Slightly» shows a small amount but not an exact number; in a maths problem it does not tell you how much, so you still need the numbers. Opposite: greatly, very much.

In the corpora

• A 2022 survey counted about 1,250 finless porpoises, slightly more than five years before.
• Fizzy drinks are slightly acidic, because carbon dioxide in water makes a weak acid, and some colas also have phosphoric acid added.
• Bacteria on teeth make acid from sugar, which damages enamel; toothpaste is slightly alkaline, and fluoride in it makes enamel tougher.
• Soap is slightly alkaline and feels slippery; strong alkalis like oven cleaner can burn skin badly.
• "Under the weather" means slightly ill.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «slightly» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.