insignificant

[in-sig-nif-i-kuhnt]

adjective

1. unimportant, trifling, or petty.

   Omit the insignificant details.

2. too small to be important.

   an insignificant sum.

   Synonyms: picayune, minuscule, minute, trifling

3. of no consequence, influence, or distinction.

   a minor, insignificant bureaucrat.

4. without weight of character; contemptible.

   an insignificant fellow.

5. without meaning; meaningless.

   insignificant sounds.

noun

1. a word, thing, or person without significance.

insignificant

/ ˌɪnsɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt /

adjective

1. having little or no importance; trifling

2. almost or relatively meaningless

3. small or inadequate

   an insignificant wage

4. not distinctive in character, etc

Other Word Forms

• insignificantly adverb
• insignificance noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of insignificant¹

First recorded in 1620–30; in- ³ + significant

Example Sentences

In reality, the limited data on mass shootings and homicide assailants’ gender identities suggests that “trans people make up an insignificant percentage” of perpetrators, Lenning said.

From Salon

“Everybody recognized this moment and worked together across their differences, which were not insignificant,” Newsom said.

From Los Angeles Times

JNIM's "choice to target buses and tankers is not insignificant - it aims to strike at the heart of Mali's social and economic mobility", Bamada.net reported last week.

From BBC

John Adams, the nation’s first vice president, declared the position to be “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived, or his imagination conceived.”

From Salon

As the judge in that case noted, the law is not concerned with insignificant trifles.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• inconsequential 
• infinitesimal 
• irrelevant 
• meager 
• meaningless 
• minimal 
• minor 
• minuscule 
• negligible 
• paltry 
• pointless 
• senseless 
• trivial 
• unimportant