smaller

1. 1
   adjective

   Comparative of small.

   The second box was noticeably smaller than the first.

   Rural clinics serve a smaller population than urban hospitals.

   Note

   The regular -er comparative, and it covers only some of small's meanings. Size, number and pettiness all compare. The lowercase-letter sense and the 'young child' sense do not, so smaller letters are simply littler ones, never more lowercase. It also anchors the paired construction in the worse things get, the smaller your focus should be, where two comparatives rise and fall together.

2. 2
   adverb

   Comparative of small.

   Could you draw the diagram smaller so it fits on one page?

   The printer scaled the document smaller to save paper.

   Note

   Here the comparative follows a verb of making or shaping: draw it smaller, write smaller, chop the onions smaller. It rests on small's living adverb senses, 'in a small fashion' and 'into small pieces.' The older adverb uses meaning 'softly' and 'to a small extent' are obsolete, so speak smaller will not be heard as speak more quietly. Unlike the adjective, it describes how something is done rather than ranking a thing against another.

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