a little

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a little (not comparable)

1. To a small extent or degree.

   Synonyms: a bit, a little bit

   Antonym: a lot

   The door was opened a little.

   • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter II, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:

     Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill.

   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     Hi, Amelia! Are you busy? — I’m a little busy.

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   • 2018, “The Spear of Selene”, in Duck Tales:

     Scrooge McDuck "A little salty."
     Zeus "Dip not good enough for you mortal? You offend Olympus!"

2. Slightly.

   She's a little strange, but nice enough.

3. (UK, meiosis) Very.

   It's a little big, don't you think?

4. (UK, meiosis) A lot.
5. (UK, meiosis) A lot of.

   It could do with a little work, that's for sure.

a little

1. A small amount of (an uncountable thing).

   Antonyms: zero, no; a lot of, much

   Hypernyms: any, some

   Coordinate term: (countable counterpart) a few

   A little water has spilled.

   All we need is a little time and money to carry this idea to fruition.

   "Would you like some water?" "Just a little, please."

• A little is used only with uncountable nouns. A few or some are preferred for countable nouns.

• Tetilla, alt-lite, tetilla