lite

1 of 2

adjective

1
: light entry 4 sense 9a
lite beer
lite salad dressing
2
: diminished or lacking in substance or seriousness
lite news
specifically : being an innocuous or unthreatening version
often used postpositively
it is film noir lite James Greenberg

-lite

2 of 2

noun combining form

: mineral
rhodolite
: rock
aerolite
: fossil
stromatolite

Examples of lite in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
David Henrie’s slick exercise in lite supernatural suspense is aimed at younger viewers, though their parents may also be diverted by the cast’s elder members, including Mel Gibson, Lorraine Bracco and Kevin James. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024 The correct list and prices are quarter lite for $789, half lite for $899, and $998 for a full lite or three-quarter lite. Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 30 Sep. 2024 Two products, Cape Cod chicken salad and lite chicken salad, were sold only at the Norwalk, Conn. store. Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2024 Still, in the larger scope of Vancouver Island’s wilderness, this was nature lite. Jen Murphy, Travel + Leisure, 19 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lite 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lite.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun combining form

borrowed from French, respelling of earlier -lithe, borrowed from Greek líthos "stone, rock," of obscure origin

Note: As pointed out by the Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, the acceptability of the non-classical spelling -lite for -lithe or -lith may have been advanced by the long-established word chrysolite.

First Known Use

Adjective

1962, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lite was in 1962

Dictionary Entries Near lite

Cite this Entry

“Lite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lite. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

lite

variant of light entry 2

More from Merriam-Webster on lite

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