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Unfortunately, very few governments think about youth unemployment when they are drawing up their national plans.
Kofi Annan

Meaning of "few" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD FEW

Old English fēawa; related to Old High German fao little, Old Norse fār little, silent.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF FEW

few  [fjuː] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF FEW

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Few can act as a noun and a determiner.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The determinant is a modifier that provides context to the noun, often in terms of quantity and possession.

WHAT DOES FEW MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Quantity

Quantity is a property that can exist as a magnitude or multitude. Quantities can be compared in terms of "more", "less" or "equal", or, by assigning a numerical value in terms of a unit of measurement. Quantity is among the basic classes of things along with quality, substance, change, and relation. Being a fundamental term, quantity is used to refer to any type of quantitative properties or attributes of things. Some quantities are such by their inner nature, while others are functioning as states of things such as heavy and light, long and short, broad and narrow, small and great, or much and little. A small quantity is sometimes referred to as a quantulum. Two basic divisions of quantity, magnitude and multitude, imply the principal distinction between continuity and discontinuity. Under the names of multitude come what is discontinuous and discrete and divisible into indivisibles, all cases of collective nouns: army, fleet, flock, government, company, party, people, chorus, crowd, mess, and number.

Definition of few in the English dictionary

The definition of few in the dictionary is a small number of; hardly any. Other definition of few is a small number of.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH FEW


avenue
ˈævɪˌnjuː
continue
kənˈtɪnjuː
debut
ˈdeɪbjuː
due
djuː
hue
hjuː
Hugh
hjuː
interview
ˈɪntəˌvjuː
knew
njuː
lieu
ljuː
Matthew
ˈmæθjuː
menu
ˈmɛnjuː
meu
mjuː
mu
mjuː
new
njuː
nu
njuː
overview
ˈəʊvəˌvjuː
preview
ˈpriːvjuː
review
rɪˈvjuː
sue
sjuː
you
juː

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE FEW

feverfew
feverish
feverishly
feverishness
feverless
feverous
feverously
feverroot
feverweed
feverwort
few and far between
fewness
fewtrils
fey
Feydeau
feyly
feyness
Feynman
Feynman diagram
fez

WORDS THAT END LIKE FEW

a good few
Andrew
brand-new
brew
crew
dew
drew
flew
grew
have a few
Hebrew
not a few
point of view
renew
screw
sew
the few
the new
threw
view

Synonyms and antonyms of few in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «FEW»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «few» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of few

Translation of «few» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF FEW

Find out the translation of few to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of few from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «few» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

不多的
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

poco
570 millions of speakers

English

few
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

कुछ
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

بِضْعَة
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

немногие
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

poucos
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

কয়েক
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

peu
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

beberapa
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

wenige
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

少しの
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

약간의
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Sawetara
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

ít
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

சில
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

काही
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

az
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

pochi
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

niewielu
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

кілька
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

câțiva
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

λίγος
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

paar
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of few

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «FEW»

The term «few» is very widely used and occupies the 1.011 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
98
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «few» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of few
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «few».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «FEW» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «few» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «few» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about few

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «FEW»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word few.
1
Bill Ackman
I think a very good system in a world with a lot of passive investors is one in which there are at least a few entrepreneurial investors, prepared to say what they think, prepared to propose a change in management, change in strategy, change in cost structure, capital structure.
2
Laz Alonso
I like speed, so I like taking the jet skis out and hitting the water, or hitting the lake. In the winter, unfortunately, I used to ski a lot but I haven't been able to ski in the past few years because thank God I've been working, so that's a good reason not to.
3
David Amram
A few years later, my Uncle David took me to the Earle Theatre to hear Duke Ellington.
4
Ian Anderson
If you're gonna use simile, analogy, metaphor, be descriptive and have some flowery adjectives and a few odd nouns and some engaging bits of dialogue or sentiment, then you're sort of writing a novel, really. But rock lyrics are not really known for their sophistication.
5
Kofi Annan
Unfortunately, very few governments think about youth unemployment when they are drawing up their national plans.
6
Richard Attias
Sport is one of the few spaces where people can learn about different cultures in a spirit of trust and friendship.
7
Ron Ben-Israel
In the past few years, we've been doing amazing stuff with desserts. Pastry chefs have been using herbs and spices in their desserts. So vanilla cake doesn't have to be just vanilla, it can have a little thyme. Or you could have a custard with a little lavender in it, which is just amazing.
8
Carla Bley
Living composers writing for big band are very few and far between. There are not a lot of them, and I have a talent for doing it. I am zeroing in on what I do best.
9
Emily Browning
There have been a few times when I've read a script and it's really cool but the girl character's just kind of pathetic. It's not going to do me any favours just being 'the girl' in a cool movie.
10
Octavia Butler
Writing is one of the few professions in which you can psychoanalyse yourself, get rid of hostilities and frustrations in public, and get paid for it.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «FEW»

Discover the use of few in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to few and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
The Chosen Few: How Education Shaped Jewish History, 70-1492
The Chosen Few offers a powerful new explanation of one of the most significant transformations in Jewish history while also providing fresh insights to the growing debate about the social and economic impact of religion.
Maristella Botticini, Zvi Eckstein, 2012
2
Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective ...
In Everyone Communicates, Few Connect, Maxwell shares the Five Principles and Five Practices to develop the crucial skill of connecting, including: Finding common ground Keeping your communication simple Capturing people's interest ...
John C. Maxwell, 2010
3
Information Dashboard Design: The Effective Visual ...
This text teaches the visual design skills needed to create dashboards that communicate clearly, rapidly, and compellingly.
Stephen Few, 2006
4
Democracy for the Few
By focusing on the relationship between economic power and political power, discussing actual government practices and policies, conspiracies, propaganda, fraud, secrecy and other ploys of government and politics, this book stands apart in ...
Michael Parenti, 2010
5
We Few
Left stranded on the barbarian planet Marduk with a group of Royal Marines, Prince Roger MacClintock and his followers set out to recapture an interstellar empire from enemies who have branded Roger a traitor and outlaw.
David Weber, John Ringo, 2005
6
Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten
Perfecting the male body and sustaining the male libido has become a cultural pre-occupation. This is the story of how menopause has become its own cultural phenomenon.
Stephen Few, 2012
7
The Spectacular Few: Prisoner Radicalization and the ...
“Mark Hamm is, without doubt, the world’s leading expert on prison radicalization. Based on decades of research, this book presents a nuanced and sophisticated picture,.
Mark S. Hamm, 2013
8
A Few Good Men: The Bodhisattva Path According to the ...
A Few Good Men is a study and translation of one of the most influential Mahayana sutras on the bodhisattva path.
Jan Nattier, 2003
9
Two Among the Righteous Few: A Story of Courage in the Holocaust
Fictionalized account based on the experiences of Frans and Hermina (Mien) Wijnakker who were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations in 1983.
Marty Brounstein, 2011
10
The Wisdom of Crowds
In this fascinating book, New Yorker business columnist James Surowiecki explores a deceptively simple idea: Large groups of people are smarter than an elite few, no matter how brilliant–better at solving problems, fostering innovation, ...
James Surowiecki, 2005

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «FEW»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term few is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Half a million cards issued in a few days | Business | ekathimerini.com
Notably, banks issued more than 500,000 new debit cards within just a few days, meaning that virtually all account holders in Greece can now ... «Kathimerini, Jul 15»
2
'I enjoyed the Battle of Britain' – The Few gather for 75th anniversary …
The ranks of The Few only ever amounted to just under 3,000, but 75 years on their numbers are thought to have dwindled to only 25 survivors ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Jul 15»
3
Modi-Sharif meet: A few steps forward, but can Pakistan PM deliver …
Strangely, India has agreed to provide voice samples once again - India had already provided voice samples a few years ago, along with the ... «Times of India, Jul 15»
4
A Few Extra Features Just Made The Sims 4 A Lot Better - Kotaku
The Sims is a very additive game. It never really stops or “ends” the way many single-player games do; it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. «Kotaku, Jul 15»
5
“Kiss my ass”: Kid Rock has a few words for Confederate battle flag …
In a brief statement read on “The Kelly File” last night, Detroit rocker/Chevy jingle-smith Kid Rock expressed his thoughts about the recent ... «Salon, Jul 15»
6
Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic enjoys the final few days of his …
As most Premier League players make their way back to pre-season training, their Spanish counterparts have been given a few extra days by ... «Daily Mail, Jul 15»
7
F1 2015 review: Pole position with few pit stops - Pocket-lint
Rebooting a Formula One videogame franchise is a tough task, almost by definition: with F1 games, authenticity is the name of the game, so the ... «Pocket-lint.com, Jul 15»
8
Few Regulatory Hurdles for Lockheed-Sikorsky Deal - Defense News
WASHINGTON — If Lockheed Martin goes through with a reported purchase of Sikorsky, it will likely face few – if any – regulatory hurdles, ... «DefenseNews.com, Jul 15»
9
WV MetroNews – Yeager repair work still a few weeks away
Work to deconstruct and then reconstruct the overrun area that collapsed at Yeager Airport in Charleston in March is still a few weeks away, ... «West Virginia MetroNews, Jul 15»
10
'Yoga is one of the few things I haven't done yet': Vladimir Putin tells …
“Yoga is one of the few things I haven't done yet, though it's hard to resist the attraction,” Putin, 62, who is a judo black belt, told Modi during ... «National Post, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Few [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/few>. Apr 2024 ».
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