lightweight
/ˈlaɪt.weɪt/noun, adjective, verb
lightweight is a noun meaning “A particular weight class, or member of such, as prescribed by the rules, between that of the heavier welterweight and the lighter featherweight. See…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is spelled L-I-G-H-T-W-E-I-G-H-T and has 2 syllables, and it appears 6.0 times per million words in written English (wordfreq, 2021 data). The plural of lightweight is lightweights.
What does lightweight mean?
noun
- 1
A particular weight class, or member of such, as prescribed by the rules, between that of the heavier welterweight and the lighter featherweight. See Wikipedia for the specifics of each sport.
- 2
A particular weight category as prescribed by the rules, separate from an open or heavyweight class.
- 3
A competitive weight division as prescribed by the rules, between the heavier middleweight and the lighter featherweight.
- 4
One of little consequence or ability.
- 5
A person who cannot handle their drink; one who gets drunk on very little alcohol.
- 6
A person with low endurance.
- 7
A political candidate with little chance of winning.
- 8
Something that is light in weight, or relatively so.
adjective
- 1
Lacking in earnestness, ability, or profundity.
- 2
Having less than average weight.
- 3
Lacking in strength.
- 4
Having a small footprint or performance impact.
verb
- 1
To reduce the amount or weight of.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you pronounce lightweight?
- US /ˈlaɪt.weɪt/
As an adjective (“Lacking in earnestness, ability, or profundity”): /laɪtˈweɪt/.
Lightweight has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-lightweight.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of lightweight
- lightweights plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- light-weight
- more lightweight comparative
- lighterweight comparative
- most lightweight superlative
- lightestweight superlative
- lightweighting participle, present
- lightweighted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How common is lightweight?
Lightweight appears 6.0 times per million words in written English, the 9,878th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Words people confuse with lightweight
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: light-weight (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
How do you abbreviate lightweight?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of lightweight: LWT, ltw.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lightweight in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | poids léger , léger |
| German | Leichtgewicht, Leichtgewichtler , leichtgewichtig , Dünnbrettbohrer , seicht, dünnbrettbohrerisch |
| Portuguese | peso-leve , leve , fraco |
| Spanish | peso ligero |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does lightweight come from?
From light (“not heavy”, adjective) + weight (noun).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).