smidgen
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of smidgen
First recorded in 1835–45; origin uncertain
Explanation
A smidgen is a little bit of something. If you're only hungry enough for a little bit of ice cream, you might ask for just a smidgen in your bowl. Maybe you prefer just a smidgen of ketchup on your fries, or you might speak a smidgen of German, enough to buy your train tickets in Berlin. You can use the adjective smidgen to talk about a tad of anything, although it's often used for describing or requesting little bits of food. It's thought to have come from the Scottish word smitch, "a small amount or an insignificant person."
Vocabulary lists containing smidgen
Pride
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The One and Only Bob
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Moon Over Manifest
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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.
“You just did it for me now,” Ha says with a smidgen of dread that launches the pair into laughter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2026
Ms. Schmidt has clearly modeled her comedy-drama on Chekhov, with notable parallels to “The Seagull” and a smidgen of “Uncle Vanya” tossed in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026
September’s consumer price index rose at a 3% annual pace, a smidgen lower than the 3.1% rate analysts expected.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2025
After everything these two had been through, there was a smidgen of respect.
From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2025
I was all ready to help parcel out the smidgen of food when, lo and behold, Hattie Mae uncovered a huge angel food cake.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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.
