Word.ws English Dictionary

small words

small words noun: language that is easy to understand.

Noun

small words (uncountable)

  1. language that is easy to understand
    • Wisely did the translators of our English Bible use small words, which impart a beauty and force to innumerable passages in their excellent version.1853, James Spencer Cannon, Lectures on Pastoral Theology, Charles Scribner, page 152
    • Use small words. You probably wouldn't like to have to use your dictionary to read this book. Your readers won't want to use a dictionary either; so, use words which describe your thoughts and are easily understood by the reader.1982, William Hammond, Leadership Education III, Air Force Junior ROTC, Air University, page 4
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see small, words.

Examples of small words in a sentence

  • Use small words where you can; do not try to use large words to impress people.1997, Irene Lober, Promoting Your School: A Public Relations Handbook, R&L Education, →ISBN, page 89:
  • Fine, but you might want to use small words so Blackwood can keep up.2017, David Debord, Neptune's Key: A Tattered Sails Novel, Tattered Sails, →ISBN, page 49:
  • What does it mean to use small words almost exclusively (“We're going to have very, very strong vetting.2020, Roderick P. Hart, Trump and Us: What He Says and Why People Listen, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 30:

Antonyms of small words

Questions about small words

What does small words mean?
Small words means language that is easy to understand.
How do you use small words in a sentence?
Use small words where you can; do not try to use large words to impress people.
What part of speech is small words?
Small words is a noun.

Words near small words in the dictionary

  1. small ubiquitin-related modifiers
  2. small unmarked bills
  3. small white
  4. small whites
  5. small wonder
  6. small words
  7. small world
  8. Small Yard, High Fence
  9. small, unmarked bills
  10. small-billed tinamou
  11. small-billed tinamous

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: small words (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “small words.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/small_words. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.