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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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.
Current schemes mostly allow a minimal use of AI, for example for research and grammar checks, but there are worries this could be open to interpretation.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
You might hire an estate sale pro if your home is filled with furniture, knickknacks, tableware, toys, art and collectibles that others might buy, albeit for minimal prices.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
With only minimal fine-tuning, the optical processor achieved 94.80% accuracy and 97.61% sensitivity on previously unseen VEO-3 videos during experiments.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
Consensus expectations for Liontrust are likely to increase by around 8% next year, with a minimal impact this year, Berenberg says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Everyone was, at a minimal estimate, “a good egg” or “a decent sort,” and motivation was never judged to be at variance with outward show.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
