Few \Few\ (f[=u]), a. [Compar. Fewer (f[=u]"[~e]r); superl.
Fewest.] [OE. fewe, feawe, AS. fe['a], pl. fe['a]we; akin
to OS. f[=a]h, OHG. f[=o] fao, Icel. f[=a]r, Sw. f[*a], pl.,
Dan. faa, pl., Goth. faus, L. paucus, cf. Gr. pay^ros. Cf.
Paucity.]
Not many; small, limited, or confined in number; --
indicating a small portion of units or individuals
constituting a whole; often, by ellipsis of a noun, a few
people. "Are not my days few?" --Job x. 20.
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Few know and fewer care. --Proverb.
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Note: Few is often used partitively; as, few of them.
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A few, a small number.
In few, in a few words; briefly. --Shak.
No few, not few; more than a few; many. --Cowper.
The few, the minority; -- opposed to the many or the
majority.
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cursory, depthless, footling, handful, hardly any, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, least, little, littlest, low, lowest, meager, miniature, minim, minimum, negligible, no great shakes, not many, occasional, of small number, petty, picayune, picayunish, precious little, rare, scarce, scarcely any, scattering, seldom, shallow, short, shortest, skin-deep, slightest, small, smallest, smatter, smattering, spatter, spattering, sporadic, sprinkling, superficial, tiny, trifling, trivial, uncommon, unfrequent |
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