scintilla

[ sin-til-uh ]

/ sɪnˈtɪl ə /

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noun

a minute particle; spark; trace: not a scintilla of remorse.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of scintilla

1685–95; <Latin: spark

Words nearby scintilla

scimitar oryx, scincoid, scindapsus, scintigram, scintigraphy, scintilla, scintillant, scintillate, scintillating, scintillation, scintillation counter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use scintilla in a sentence

Once you’ve finished with your nostrils, you have to put the swab in and squeeze and swirl it at the same time, which requires just a scintilla more skill than the others.
The Enthusiast's Guide To At-Home COVID-19 Tests|Belinda Luscombe|January 12, 2022|Time
That had more than a scintilla of substance—is Mitt actually a political shape-shifter?
Hilary Rosen, Ann Romney, and the Perpetual Outrage Industry|Howard Kurtz|April 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
How could anyone do all this without leaving behind a scintilla of microscopic evidence?
Stop Calling It Murder|Roy Black|September 10, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Forde is among those who note that every scintilla of blame cannot be put on FitzPatrick and Drumm.
The Men Who Killed the Economy|Niall Stanage|November 19, 2010|DAILY BEAST

It does take a certain talent to take Paul Newman and present the actor without a scintilla of excitement.
Ralph Nader's Fantasies|Samuel P. Jacobs|September 21, 2009|DAILY BEAST
I have not a scintilla of interest in being at court when the judge sentences him.
The Bag Lady Papers, Part VIII|Alexandra Penney|June 28, 2009|DAILY BEAST
I would not, Mr. President, give up a scintilla of that portion of the responsibility which the crisis imposes on me.
Abridgement of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856 (4 of 16 vol.)|Various
They had merely waited that scintilla of ocular confirmation of a known danger.
Unexplored Spain|Abel Chapman
This seems to me to have not a scintilla of justice about it.
The Mormon Puzzle, and How to Solve It|R. W. Beers
In these churches there were no fire altars; but the small scintilla of sacred fire preserved in them, was kept only in a lamp.
Mysticism and its Results|John Delafield
She is beautiful of course, but quite without charm or the slightest scintilla of wit.
Letters of Two Brides|Honore de Balzac

British Dictionary definitions for scintilla

scintilla

/ (sɪnˈtɪlə) /

noun

a minute amount; hint, trace, or particle

Word Origin for scintilla

C17: from Latin: a spark

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

scintilla

Origin of scintilla

Words nearby scintilla

Words related to scintilla

How to use scintilla in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scintilla

Word Origin for scintilla