adjective. Amounting to or consisting of a small number.

adjective. Being more than one but indefinitely small in number.

noun. An indefinitely small number of persons or things.

noun. An exclusive or limited number.

pronoun. A small number of persons or things.

Not many; a small number; only a small number.

noun. Not many; only a small number (of persons or things): in this use properly an adjective, used elliptically as a plural noun, and not preceded by the article.

noun. A small number; a minority: in this sense preceded by the article a (originally in the plural) or the, with or without a noun following, the noun, if used, expressing the whole of which the few are taken, and being in the partitive genitive, with or without the preposition of: as, a few, or a few members, or a few of the members, dissented.

noun. A small quantity or portion; a little: followed by a noun (without of) in a construction similar to def. 2 and to that of little, n.

noun. See II., 3.

noun. Adv. phr. Somewhat; to some slight extent: often used ironically for a good deal.

adjective. 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.

adjective. a small number.

adjective. in a few words; briefly.

adjective. not few; more than a few; many.

adjective. the minority; -- opposed to the many or the majority.

determiner. An indefinite, but usually small, number of.

determiner. Not many; a small (in comparison with another number stated or implied) but somewhat indefinite number of.

determiner. (US?) Obscuring one eighth to two eighths of the sky.

determiner. (US?) Having a 10 percent chance of measurable precipitation (0.01 inch); used interchangeably with isolated.

pronoun. Few people, few things.

adjective. a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by `a'; a small but indefinite number

noun. a small elite group

"I wish I could place every one before my readers to receive the meed of praise she so richly deserves; only a few, _very few_, names now occur to me."

many  

a few  a good few  in few  quite a few  the few  

a couple of  a few  hardly a  

a few  little  quite a few  

elite group  élite  

Baku  Blue  Cebu  Chengdu  Chou  

bad  cold  fine  good  great  

cursory  depthless  footling  handful  hardly any