negligible
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- negligibility noun
- negligibleness noun
- negligibly adverb
- nonnegligibility noun
- nonnegligible adjective
- nonnegligibleness noun
- nonnegligibly adverb
- quasi-negligible adjective
- quasi-negligibly adverb
Etymology
Origin of negligible
Explanation
When something is meaningless or insignificant because it is so little, it's negligible. The amount of interest you'll get on your savings is negligible, so you might as well spend your money. If you work really hard on something, but the praise you get for it is negligible, you won't try so hard next time. Besides meaning very small, negligible can mean unimportant or not worth paying attention to. If you get into a fender-bender, you've gotten into a car accident with negligible damage. School concert programs always offer a word of thanks to the principal and other members of the administration whose role in the concert seems to be negligible.
Vocabulary lists containing negligible
Essential English Vocabulary, List 2
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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It's the Little Things: Synonyms for "Small"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Normally, this one-month difference is negligible, said John Paisie, president of Stratas Advisors.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
In most environments across the universe, its influence is negligible.
From Science Daily • Mar. 10, 2026
For example, whereas a distorted video or lag had a negligible impact, glitches involving sustained video loss, echoes or brief freezes were substantially more detrimental to the candidate’s likelihood of being hired.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026
Yet the negligible bump projected to insurers indicates that companies will be looking for cost-savings.
From Barron's • Jan. 27, 2026
“What?” said Harry and Ron together; both considered Hermione’s Quidditch knowledge negligible.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
