small number
Not very many
A small number is a quantity that's low relative to what might be expected or compared against.
The phrase often downplays or minimizes: Only a small number of people showed up.
It can be deliberately vague, avoiding specific figures: A small number of employees were let go.
What counts as small depends entirely on context—a small number of grains of sand differs vastly from a small number of planets.
- fewSmall in number
- handfulAmount a palm holds
- coupleTwo linked together
- trioGroup of three
- fractionalDescribing incomplete portions
lesser · meager · modicum · slim pickings · minimal · bare minimum · insignificant · quartet · smattering · limited · half-dozen · select few · sparse · thin on the ground · scant · negligible · slight · minor