adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of minimal
Explanation
Minimal means the smallest possible, or the least — as in, "She passed the test with minimal studying." Minimal can also mean simple, as in "The apartment had a minimal decor scheme: white walls, no art, a simple black couch." When there is "minimal supervision" at a slumber party, few grownups are present. When you spend the "minimal amount of money" on a trip, you won't be staying at the Ritz. If you grew up with minimal contact with one of your parents, you barely saw or spoke to them. If you like to keep things simple, you might call yourself a minimalist, or a believer in minimalism.
Vocabulary lists containing minimal
Life As We Knew It
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"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 5
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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.
The index heavyweights, mostly in banking, telecommunications and real-estate sectors, have large domestic and regional exposure and offer minimal exports to the U.S.,
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Haiti, Iraq, Jordan, Panama, Tunisia and Uzbekistan failed to pick up a point - and this summer's group stage had minimal jeopardy for the top nations.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Public health labs and all these groups are always struggling to work with minimal resources, and when there’s a huge influx of tests that need to be run, it becomes an issue.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
“Respectfully, we request from the City of Los Angeles and the Department of Recreation and Parks: A long-term ground lease of the site at a minimal cost,” the organization wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
The damage was minimal, but now I would certainly be late.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
