minuscule

American  

[min-uh-skyool, mi-nuhs-kyool] / ˈmɪn əˌskjul, mɪˈnʌs kjul /

adjective

1. very small.

2. (of letters or writing) small; not capital.

3. written in such letters (opposed to majuscule).

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noun

• minuscules
  plural

1. a minuscule letter.

2. a small cursive script developed in the 7th century a.d. from the uncial, which it afterward superseded.

minuscule British  

/ ˈmɪnəˌskjuːl /

noun

1. a lower-case letter

2. writing using such letters

3. a small cursive 7th-century style of lettering derived from the uncial

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adjective

1. relating to, printed in, or written in small letters Compare majuscule

2. very small

3. (of letters) lower-case

Spelling

Minuscule, from Latin minus meaning “less,” has frequently come to be spelled miniscule, perhaps under the influence of the prefix mini- in the sense “of a small size.” Although this newer spelling is criticized by many, it occurs with such frequency in edited writing that some consider it a variant spelling rather than a misspelling.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• minuscular
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• minuscules
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of minuscule

First recorded in 1695–1705; from Latin minusculus “smallish, pretty small, minor”; see minus, -cule ¹

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Explanation

When something is teeny tiny, it is minuscule. If your mother calls your miniskirt minuscule, it probably means she wants you to change into something a bit less revealing. In minuscule, you see the word, minus, which means lesser. The word minuscule has its roots in the Latin expression minuscula littera, a phrase used to describe the smaller letters in text. In the late 1800s, the use of the word expanded to mean very small in general — so the definition of minuscule became less minuscule.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

minuscule minuscules

The so-called jobless claims published each week by the Labor Department were already minuscule before the pandemic but sank to a 57-year low of 189,000 over the summer.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

"The field is expected to supply only a minuscule share of UK gas demand for a limited period," said Jess Ralston, analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, a non-profit research group.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

Their minuscule tenures represent an impressive race to the bottom in a once-prestigious role that was created just under a century ago, during the Great Depression.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

Gazza's baggy Roman shellsuit, John Charles plundering black-and-white goals in Turin, King Kev's floodlit perm dazzling Volksparkstadion terraces, Glenn Hoddle's minuscule Monegasque shorts.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

They entered the dairy, and at dawn the milk was sour and full of minuscule cadavers.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

The first book wholly printed in Greek minuscules was Lascaris' Grammar at Milan in 1476.

From The Century of Columbus by James J. Walsh

Written in very regular, bold Italian minuscules of the period of the Renaissance.

From Catalogue of the William Loring Andrews Collection of Early Books in the Library of Yale University by Addison Van Name

Written in regular Italian minuscules of the 15th century, formed on the models of the 11th and 12th centuries.

From Catalogue of the William Loring Andrews Collection of Early Books in the Library of Yale University by Addison Van Name

If minuscules are used, the words should be transliterated as quinque, queen, Europe, according to the practice of the old printers themselves.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 7 "Bible" to "Bisectrix" by Various

If roman minuscules are used throughout, or roman for the text and italic for the imprint of colophon, the method of transliteration which the printer himself would have used should be adopted.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 7 "Bible" to "Bisectrix" by Various

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Related Words

• insignificant
• microscopic
• small
• tiny

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