insignificant
Americanadjective
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unimportant, trifling, or petty.
Omit the insignificant details.
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too small to be important.
an insignificant sum.
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of no consequence, influence, or distinction.
a minor, insignificant bureaucrat.
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without weight of character; contemptible.
an insignificant fellow.
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without meaning; meaningless.
insignificant sounds.
noun
adjective
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having little or no importance; trifling
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almost or relatively meaningless
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small or inadequate
an insignificant wage
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not distinctive in character, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of insignificant
First recorded in 1620–30; in- 3 + significant
Explanation
When something is insignificant, it doesn't matter. The fact that your mom gets to school a half hour late becomes insignificant when she announces you're stopping for ice cream on the way home. The word signify, which is at the heart of insignificant, means "to mean." Significant means "meaningful." Add in- "not," and you have "not meaningful." A company can fire a worker from an insignificant job and still function. In a crisis, your feelings are insignificant; it is your actions that matter.
Vocabulary lists containing insignificant
In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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The Alchemist
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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.
That may sound insignificant, but physicists take such differences seriously.
From Science Daily • May 18, 2026
If you look at it from a universal perspective, what happens in this very shabby, humble, small, insignificant space potentially creates an impact that can go on infinitely.
From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026
That "is not insignificant", Bertschy told AFP, especially since the region has witnessed "strong growth in recent years", with particular enthusiasm for complex watches at the top end of the industry.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
Outside of their destroying the concept of privacy, or being complicit in its destruction, they are colossally insignificant.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
If this is to be true—and it would be stunning if there were something special about our insignificant location in the Cosmos—then it follows that no one may travel faster than light.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
