few en · DET
Pronunciation
Etymology
From Middle English fewe, from Old English fēaw (“few”), from Proto-West Germanic *fau, from Proto-Germanic *fawaz (“few”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, small”). Cognate with Old Saxon fā (“few”), Old High German fao, fō (“few, little”), Old Norse fár (“few”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍃 (faus, “few”). Also related with Latin paucus (“little, few”) and pauper (“poor”), from which latter English poor and pauper; see these.
Meanings
-
(qualifier:preceded by another determiner) An indefinite, but usually small, number of.
There are a few cars (=some, but a relatively small number) in the street.
No sooner has a [synthetic] drug been blacklisted than chemists adjust their recipe and start churning out a subtly different one. These “legal highs” are sold for the few months it takes the authorities to identify and ban them, and then the cycle begins again.
2013 August 10, “A new prescription”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848, London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 10 Aug 2020:The few cheapest hotels I could find are the farthest too.
I think he's had a few drinks.
Quite a few people (=a significant number) were pleasantly surprised.
-
(used alone) Not many; a small (in comparison with another number stated or implied) but somewhat indefinite number of.
I was expecting a big crowd at the party, but very few people (=almost none) turned up.
However, the above passage could have been written more efficiently — if Strunkian concision, using the fewest words possible, is understood as the measure of verbal efficiency.
2020, Victoria Rosner, Machines for Living: Modernism and Domestic Life, page 62:Very few did she have not to go there, did she?
Your men are valiant but their number few, And cannot terrifie his mightie hoſt, […]
c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene iii:Already we're seeing fewer cache misses by avoiding creating cache entries for the idle task and expect to see even fewer with changes to the TLB reload code to uncache the page tables.
1999, Proceedings of the Third Symposium on Operating Systems:
-
(of clouds) Obscuring one to two oktas (eighths) of the sky.
Tonight: A few clouds. Increasing cloudiness overnight.
NOAA definition of the term few clouds: An official sky cover classification for aviation weather observations, descriptive of a sky cover of 1/8 to 2/8. This is applied only when obscuring phenomena aloft are present--that is, not when obscuring phenomena are surface-based, such as fog.
- (of rainfall with regard to a location) (US?) Having a 10 percent chance of measurable precipitation (0.01 inch); used interchangeably with isolated.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| fewer | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| least | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| less | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| fewest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
fewfold · precious few · a good few · pull a few strings · few cards short of a full deck · some few · quite a few · few-shot · a few · you've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette · a few roos loose in the top paddock · a few spanners short of a tool box · fewly · in a few shakes · have a few · fewness · few sandwiches short of a picnic · cover-few · have a few too many · woman of few words · few-flowered sedge · few-shot learning · a few clowns short of a circus · a fair few · man of few words · few cards shy of a full deck · few and far between · to name a few · a few fries short of a Happy Meal
Relateds
Synonyms
Translations (242)
fi jokunen (indefinite, usually small number) · hy քիչ (small number) · no noen (indefinite, usually small number) · pap poko (indefinite, usually small number) · it pochi (small number) · pt poucas (small number) · ca poca (indefinite, usually small number) · ttj -ke (indefinite, usually small number) · fa وید (small number) · pt poucos (small number) · ab маҷк (indefinite, usually small number) · lv nedaudz (indefinite, usually small number) · fi muutama (small number) · hu kevés (indefinite, usually small number) · tr az (indefinite, usually small number) · acw قَليل (indefinite, usually small number) · ty riʻi (small number) · mi tokoitiiti (indefinite, usually small number) · mi okotahi (indefinite, usually small number) · war gu-ti (indefinite, usually small number) · mn хэдэн (indefinite, usually small number) · sq i fijë (indefinite, usually small number) · km ប៉ុន្មាន (small number) · grc ὀλίγος (indefinite, usually small number) · ba аҙ (indefinite, usually small number) · nl weinig (small number) · gd beag (indefinite, usually small number) · uz oz (indefinite, usually small number) · ko 조금 (indefinite, usually small number) · ja 少し (indefinite, usually small number) · mn цөөхөн (small number) · nl een paar (indefinite, usually small number) · sh malo (indefinite, usually small number) · cmn 少 (indefinite, usually small number) · uk небага́то (indefinite, usually small number) · mi okotahi (small number) · mi kōtahitahi (indefinite, usually small number) · arz قليل (indefinite, usually small number) · phn 𐤌𐤎𐤊 (small number) · ko 적다 (indefinite, usually small number) · km តិច (indefinite, usually small number) · tr az (small number) · mk ма́лку (small number) · sk málo (indefinite, usually small number) · hi कुछ (indefinite, usually small number) · cho achafoa (indefinite, usually small number) · roa-tar pìcche (indefinite, usually small number) · mi ruarua (small number) · lmo poo (indefinite, usually small number) · ky аз (indefinite, usually small number) · sga úathad (indefinite, usually small number) · rgn pöc (indefinite, usually small number) · fr peu (indefinite, usually small number) · ps لږ (indefinite, usually small number) · zdj -shashi (small number) · et vähesed (indefinite, usually small number) · mi tokoiti (small number) · fr quelques (meteorology: obscuring 1–2 eighths of the sky) · is fár (small number) · tk az (indefinite, usually small number) · acw شُوَيَّة (indefinite, usually small number) · vi ít (indefinite, usually small number) · cs trochu (indefinite, usually small number) · uk ма́ло (indefinite, usually small number) · de wenig (indefinite, usually small number) · vec poco (indefinite, usually small number) · pl parę (small number) · et vähe (indefinite, usually small number) · sip ཉུང (small number) · mi ngōuruuru (small number) · ty riʻi (indefinite, usually small number) · ga beag (small number) · he אֲחָדִים (indefinite, usually small number) · es pocos (small number) · got 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍃 (indefinite, usually small number) · tly kam (indefinite, usually small number) · bn কম (indefinite, usually small number) · rm pauc (indefinite, usually small number) · cs jen pár (indefinite, usually small number) · cmn 一些 (indefinite, usually small number) · ltg drupeit (indefinite, usually small number) · ca poques (small number) · gd beagan (indefinite, usually small number) · zea weinig (small number) · hi न्यून (indefinite, usually small number) · bg ма́лко (indefinite, usually small number) · no få (small number) · mi itiiti (indefinite, usually small number) · ru ма́ло (small number) · gd corra (indefinite, usually small number) · la paucus (indefinite, usually small number) · mi kōtahitahi (small number) · pl mało (indefinite, usually small number) · te కొలది (indefinite, usually small number) · uk кі́лька (indefinite, usually small number) · et vähe (small number) · lmo pu (indefinite, usually small number) · hy սակավ (indefinite, usually small number) · ca pocs (small number) · it poco (indefinite, usually small number) · tt аз (indefinite, usually small number) · sa स्वल्प (indefinite, usually small number) · ru не́сколько (indefinite, usually small number) · yi אַ פּאָר (small number) · cs málo (indefinite, usually small number) · ba әҙ (indefinite, usually small number) · war di-to (indefinite, usually small number) · mk ма́лку (indefinite, usually small number) · dsb mało (indefinite, usually small number) · ga tearc (small number) · yi ווייניק (small number) · pl niewiele (indefinite, usually small number) · el μερικοί (indefinite, usually small number) · ro ceva (indefinite, usually small number) · es pocas (small number) · sv få (indefinite, usually small number) · ttt kəm (indefinite, usually small number) · ms dikit (indefinite, usually small number) · my နည်း (indefinite, usually small number) · sga terc (indefinite, usually small number) · ban kikit (indefinite, usually small number) · lo ນ້ອຍ (indefinite, usually small number) · cs nemnoho (small number) · mi riki (small number) · yi ווייניק (indefinite, usually small number) · ro puțini (small number) · fi vähän (small number) · hy քիչ (indefinite, usually small number) · no få (indefinite, usually small number) · fi selkeä (see: pilvisyys) (meteorology: obscuring 1–2 eighths of the sky) · hy սակավ (small number) · vec puòco (indefinite, usually small number) · cmn 少 (small number) · bg ма́лко (small number) · is fáir (indefinite, usually small number) · mi tokoitiiti (small number) · ga beagán (indefinite, usually small number) · lt nedaug (indefinite, usually small number) · ro câțiva (indefinite, usually small number) · ar قَلِيل (indefinite, usually small number) · sl nekaj (indefinite, usually small number) · mi ouou (indefinite, usually small number) · sa ईषत् (small number) · ar قَلِيل (small number) · mi torutoru (indefinite, usually small number) · my နည်း (small number) · pl kilka (small number) · pt poucos (indefinite, usually small number) · mi ouou (small number) · mn цөөн тооны (small number) · sq pak (indefinite, usually small number) · mi riki (indefinite, usually small number) · fur pôc (indefinite, usually small number) · da få (indefinite, usually small number) · zea weinig (indefinite, usually small number) · fa کم (small number) · fa کم (indefinite, usually small number) · sa स्वल्प (small number) · fa اندک (small number) · eo kelkaj (indefinite, usually small number) · nl weinig (indefinite, usually small number) · nl enkele (indefinite, usually small number) · fa اندک (indefinite, usually small number) · mi tokoiti (indefinite, usually small number) · sa ईषत् (indefinite, usually small number) · mi ngōuruuru (indefinite, usually small number) · tg кам (indefinite, usually small number) · ady макӏэ (indefinite, usually small number) · sd ٿورا (indefinite, usually small number) · ja 少数 (small number) · kk аз (indefinite, usually small number) · pt poucas (indefinite, usually small number) · ga beag (indefinite, usually small number) · ur کچھ (indefinite, usually small number) · be не́калькі (indefinite, usually small number) · az az (indefinite, usually small number) · hi कम (small number) · otk 𐰀𐰕 (indefinite, usually small number) · el λίγοι (indefinite, usually small number) · grc ὀλίγος (small number) · ckb کەمێ (small number) · id segelintir (small number) · cdo 少 (indefinite, usually small number) · sk nemnohí (small number) · io poka (indefinite, usually small number) · ltg nazcik (indefinite, usually small number) · mi itiiti (small number) · eo malmulta (indefinite, usually small number) · ist puoco (indefinite, usually small number) · ka ცოტა (indefinite, usually small number) · oc pauc (indefinite, usually small number) · la aliquot (small number) · id sedikit (indefinite, usually small number) · ru немно́гий (indefinite, usually small number) · ga beagán (small number) · mi toru toru (small number) · fi harva (indefinite, usually small number) · ur کم (small number) · ckb کەم (small number) · th น้อย (indefinite, usually small number) · ca poc (indefinite, usually small number) · ru ма́ло (indefinite, usually small number) · cmn 少數 /少数 (small number) · mi ruarua (indefinite, usually small number) · be нямно́га (indefinite, usually small number) · hu kevés (small number) · vi ít (small number) · sh мало (indefinite, usually small number) · haw kakaikahi (indefinite, usually small number) · ckb کەم (indefinite, usually small number) · be няшма́т (indefinite, usually small number) · ota آز (indefinite, usually small number) · fi muutama (indefinite, usually small number) · kbd мащӏэ (indefinite, usually small number) · mn цөөн (small number) · ttj -taito (indefinite, usually small number) · cs málo (small number) · es poco (indefinite, usually small number) · yai кам (indefinite, usually small number) · te కొద్ది (indefinite, usually small number) · ja わずか (small number) · sv fåtal (small number) · su sakedik (indefinite, usually small number) · ur کم (indefinite, usually small number) · sk zopár (indefinite, usually small number) · sl malo (indefinite, usually small number) · lv daži (indefinite, usually small number) · fr peu (small number) · yi עטלעכע (indefinite, usually small number) · mk малку́мина (small number) · cy ychydig (indefinite, usually small number) · xdq кам (indefinite, usually small number) · ltg kuri nakuri (indefinite, usually small number) · ms sedikit (indefinite, usually small number) · hi अल्प (indefinite, usually small number) · cs několik (small number) · scn pocu (indefinite, usually small number) · sk niekoľko (indefinite, usually small number) · fr peu (meteorology: obscuring 1–2 eighths of the sky) · gd deannan (indefinite, usually small number) · be ма́ла (indefinite, usually small number) · arz شوية (indefinite, usually small number)