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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It's the Little Things: Synonyms for "Small"
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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.
Anyone lampooned with a scintilla of brutality knows that an appearance can temporarily inoculate against accusations of humorlessness.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026
This was, in many ways, a continuation of the fretfulness of Thursday, but against an opponent that had only a scintilla of Greece's ability.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2025
No need to exert him any more, not when there was not a scintilla of a threat of a comeback from Scotland.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2025
They argued there was “not a scintilla of evidence” to support the charge of hindering police.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 28, 2023
A scintilla of doubt had begun to insinuate itself.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
