lowercase

1 of 3

adjective

low·​er·​case ˌlō-ər-ˈkās 

of a letter

: having as its typical form a f g or b n i rather than A F G or B N I

lowercase noun

lowercase

2 of 3

verb

lowercased; lowercasing

transitive verb

: to print or set in lowercase letters

lower case

3 of 3

noun

: a type case containing lowercase letters and usually figures, punctuation marks, spaces, and quads (see quad entry 2) compare upper case

Examples of lowercase in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Note that while titles such as duke are similarly lowercase when used on their own, we uppercase phrases such as the Duke of Wellington when duke is part of a phrase with a location. —WSJ, 16 Sep. 2022

Little ones will get a kick out of this bug-themed scavenger hunt —and learn to tell the difference between their upper and lowercase letters in the process. —Marisa Iallonardo, Good Housekeeping, 28 Dec. 2022

Verb

The project’s title is lowercased intentionally to address the hierarchies that capitalization can reinforce in our culture. —Chadd Scott, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2023

Kindergartners sit cross-legged at the front of the classroom as Hess shows slides of letters in upper and lowercase next to accompanying images. —oregonlive, 25 Dec. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from the compositor's practice of keeping such types in the lower of a pair of type cases

First Known Use

Adjective

1683, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1895, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1683, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

lowercase

adjective

low·​er·​case

ˌlō(-ə)r-ˈkās

: being a letter having as its typical form a, b, c rather than A, B, C

lowercase noun