scintilla
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of scintilla
1685–95; < Latin: spark
Explanation
It might take more than a scintilla of English vocabulary knowledge to know that scintilla means a tiny bit of something. Scintilla is a long word for describing a tiny thing. It comes sandwiched between the words a and of in phrases like “a scintilla of doubt” or “not a single scintilla of evidence.” If you’re uncertain of the pronunciation, remember: it rhymes with chinchilla and the c is silent, just like in science. Similar words you can use to talk about tiny bits of something are iota, smidgen, speck, and whit.
Vocabulary lists containing scintilla
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Martian Chronicles
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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.
Backstage at Tottenham, there are more than 30 musicians from 15 different countries, and not a scintilla of ego between them.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
Callaghan gives off a scintilla of Matt Damon vibes, but is his own Rudy, keeping his naive idealist free from leading-man tics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2025
I gave up alcohol two summers ago and haven't had even a scintilla to pick it back up.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2024
Thomas de la Mare KC, representing Newcastle United, said Sports Direct had not produced a "scintilla of evidence" to show the deal would harm competition and there was "simply no evidence" to substantiate the claim.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2024
A scintilla of doubt had begun to insinuate itself.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
