slightly better vs a slightly better

Both "slightly better" and "a slightly better" are correct, but they are used in different contexts. "Slightly better" is used when comparing two things directly, while "a slightly better" is used when describing a single thing that is only marginally better than something else.

Last updated: March 22, 2024 • 3625 views

slightly better

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used when comparing two things directly, indicating that one is only marginally better than the other.

Examples:

This dress is slightly better than the one you tried on.
Her performance was slightly better than his.
The weather today is slightly better than yesterday.

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It has been possible to give Europe a slightly better image.
With them a slightly better reproducibility of the results can be achieved.
I've got slightly better news than last time.
Indeed, although only 18 months has elapsed since the grant of rescue aid (May 2005) the results for the company are already slightly better than anticipated.
His Spanish is slightly better than yours, and the girl lives with her Puerto Rican grandmother.
I think I know my friend slightly better than you, Wayne.
I wouldn't give in if we lived in even a slightly better world.
Yes, but we're not talking about Humans with snakes in their heads and a slightly better understanding of technology.
So this is exactly the same behavior that you saw, but in a slightly better rendered version.
I'm not sure, but I think my drive might be slightly better than yours.
In general in the field of so-called 'red biotechnology', which is connected to pharmaceutical industries, perhaps the situation is slightly better.
Although the agreement is slightly better than the original Commission proposal, the compromise still waters down existing legislation.
This is evidenced by the fact that excluding this producer from the analysis would result in only slightly better performance figures.
In a Ferrari, everything from the shape to the sensation of really tiny things, like touching those paddles, is somehow slightly better defined than it is anywhere else.
The answer is, on average, the slightly better teachers leave the system.
While this new system does not bring about a spectacular change or significantly improve the lives of the birds, it does provide slightly better living conditions.
It is slightly better in the case of the EU, where it is 0.34%.
It boils down to this: Today was a slightly better day for the good guys than it was for the bad guys.
Data for the EU15 is slightly better than the Eurozone while for the EU25 it is slightly worse.
In fact, outcomes could even be slightly better than projected in the programme due in particular to the prudence of revenue projections and the country's good track record in budgetary performance.

Alternatives:

a bit better
somewhat better
marginally better
a tad better
a touch better

a slightly better

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used when describing a single thing that is only marginally better than something else.