Standard Lemma guide

li'l

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • [lɪɫ]
  • [lɪ.ɫ̩]
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Pronunciation spelling of little.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, pronunciation-spelling

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Generic intensifier.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • This li'l puppy is adorable!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Contracted from little, especially as pronounced with flapping, when the /t/ is barely audible.