fewest

adjhardly any

Antonyms for fewest

Word Origin & History

Old English feawe (plural; contracted to fea) "few, seldom, even a little," from Proto-Germanic *faw-, from PIE root *pau- (1) "few, little" (cf. Latin paucus "few, little," paullus "little," parvus "little, small," pauper "poor;" Greek pauros "few, little," pais (genitive paidos) "child;" Latin puer "child, boy," pullus "young animal;" Oscan puklu "child;" Sanskrit potah "a young animal," putrah "son;" Old English fola "young horse;" Old Norse fylja "young female horse;" Old Church Slavonic puta "bird;" Lithuanian putytis "young animal, young bird"). Always plural in Old English.

Phrase few and far between attested from 1660s. Unusual ironic use in quite a few "many" (1883), earlier a good few (1828). The noun is late 12c., fewe, from the adjective.

Example Sentences for fewest

But I will reckon them as merely equal to those of the state which has the fewest.

And then I told him the purport of the letters in the fewest words possible.

Winchester lay the fewest of miles away, but somewhere there was legerdemain.

I told her, in the fewest possible words, for it might be that our time was brief.

But now tell me the worst, and let that be in the fewest words possible.'

Between the ages of twenty and thirty, fewest wives have twins.

Facts are engraved Hierograms, for which the fewest have the key.

The one who has had to pay the fewest fines takes the prize,' Denison said with a laugh.

The heir did his best to settle their every doubt in the fewest possible words.

Fewest in number are the Turks, comprising only the officials.

fewest

Synonyms for fewest

Antonyms for fewest

More words related to fewest

least