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negligible

negligible

31 5.6
Very small or unimportant and not worth worrying about
  • adjective
  • /ˈnɛɡlɪdʒəbl/
translation icon : insignificante
  • The difference in price between the two models is negligible.
  • negligible effect
  • negligible amount
  • negligible impact

Most peripherals like mice or keyboards use a negligible amount of bandwidth.

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Examples

  • China's coal exports have never been substantial and make up a negligible fraction of total coal production.

    Academic text (1993)
  • There are a number of negligible differences between the 1939 account and my observations in 2001.

    Academic text (2008)
  • I mean, it's negligible at best.

  • The additional processing time in this case is negligible, and the record is forced into the system.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Moreover the risk is negligible.

  • Whether these minor differences can be considered negligible depends on the nature of the study.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Considering the number of options, creating the views required a negligible amount of time (less than two hours).

    Academic text (2015)
  • It's a tiny, negligible percentage of your lifespan.

  • Hence, the rate of formation of these deposits is negligible as compared with their rates of consumption.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The amount of time required for this task is negligible compared to the overall project.

Synonyms

little
vsnegligible
1.0

Not very important

is the neutral formal way to state the same tiny importance
small
vsnegligible
1.0

Not large in size or amount

focuses more narrowly on being so minor as to be ignored
tiny
vsnegligible
1.0

So small it can fit in your hand

is about being too minor to consider, not just physical smallness
minor
vsnegligible
600 2.4

Not very important or serious

emphasizes being too small overall rather than a relative comparison
slight
vsnegligible
594 1.2

Small in amount or degree

means too unimportant to consider because it lacks overall importance
trivial
vsnegligible
121 3.9

Not important or serious

is closer to being dismissible because of its extreme smallness
insignificant
vsnegligible
104 4.1

Not important or too small to matter

is the practical judgment of being too unimportant to consider
unimportant
vsnegligible
54 1.9

Not worth attention or notice

expresses the same lack of importance with absolute smallness
minuscule
vsnegligible
37 4.4

Very small in size or amount

focuses instead on being too unimportant to note
inconsequential
vsnegligible
29 7.7

Not important and not likely to make a difference

is similar but framed as overall too small to matter
measly
vsnegligible
  • Informal
29 6.3

Too small to be useful

is similar in small size but without the insulting tone
paltry
vsnegligible
22 7.1

Very small and not important, not worth paying attention to

is the general label for being too small to consider
immaterial
vsnegligible
19 7.2

Not important or relevant to a situation

focuses instead on being tiny enough to ignore rather than irrelevant
infinitesimal
vsnegligible
12 8.6

Very small, almost too small to measure

is the practical judgment that such minuteness makes it unimportant
trifling
vsnegligible
7 6.6

Very small and not important enough to need attention

is more neutral, stressing small size rather than trivial tone
inconsiderable
vsnegligible
3 6.8

Too small or not important enough to matter

highlights the same negligibility but as a general judgment
miniscule
vsnegligible
  • US
1 4.3

Very small and easy to miss

shares extreme minuteness but stresses lack of practical effect
de minimis
vsnegligible
  • Formal
1 8.6

Too small or unimportant to matter

shares smallness but applies broadly beyond legal exemptions
piffling
vsnegligible
1 8.6

Too small or not important to matter

is the broader term for being essentially too small to note
nonsignificant
vsnegligible
  • Specialized
1 6.0

Not important because it may be due to chance or too small to matter

is the same practical smallness but without statistical implication
matterless
vsnegligible
7.9

Not important or worth worrying about

is the everyday sense that something is too small to matter

Antonyms

1.0

A person or thing that matters a lot

2.5

Important and big enough to make a difference

How Significant

significant
2.5
notable
112 3.7
negligible
31 5.6
trivial
121 3.9

Surface Forms

negligible positive
negligibler comparative
negligiblest superlative

Morphology

negligible = neglect (semi-transparent) = neglig + ible

The adjective means 'so small as to be able to be neglected', which is derivable in principle from a stem related to 'neglect' plus '-ible', but the stem form 'neglig-' and the semantic shift make the relation only partially obvious to learners.

Etymology

The word negligible comes from Latin parts ne- 'not' and legere 'to pick or gather', so it originally meant something you 'do not pick up' or ignore. That's why negligible now means so small or unimportant that you do not need to worry about it.