Slight can mean small in amount or degree, almost to the point of being barely noticeable. A slight breeze might ruffle your hair without really cooling you down. A slight difference in test scores might be just a point or two. When a recipe calls for a slight pinch of salt, it means just the tiniest amount.

The word often suggests something so small it might not matter much. If your friend makes a slight error in a math problem, it's minor and easily fixed. A slight delay means you'll only wait a few extra minutes. Someone with a slight build is thin and not particularly tall or strong.

Slight can also mean to insult someone by treating them as unimportant or ignoring them. If you slight someone, you might leave them out of an invitation, ignore their raised hand in class, or act like their ideas don't matter. When used this way, slight can be a noun: “She felt the slight when nobody saved her a seat at lunch.” Even small slights can hurt feelings, because being ignored or dismissed can make people feel invisible.

Whether describing something tiny or describing the act of disrespecting someone, slight captures things that are small but still noticeable enough to register.