negligible
adjective
neg·li·gi·ble ˈne-gli-jə-bəl 
: so small or unimportant or of so little consequence as to warrant little or no attention : trifling
a negligible error
last year sales were negligible
a negligible risk
a negligible effect
negligibility
ˌne-gli-jə-ˈbi-lə-tē
noun negligibly
ˈne-gli-jə-blē
adverb 
Did you know?
Negligible comes from the same Latin verb as neglect, so something negligible is literally "neglectable". If an accident results in negligible damage to your car, you should be thankful. If two years of intense focus on testing in the classroom results in a negligible improvement in student test scores, it's probably time to try something new.
Synonyms
- chicken
- de minimis
- footling
- inconsequential
- inconsiderable
- insignificant
- measly
- Mickey Mouse
- minute
- niggling
- no-account
- nominal
- paltry
- peanut
- petty
- picayune
- piddling
- piddly
- piffling
- pimping
- slight
- trifling
- trivial
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
A negligible amount of damage was done to the vehicle. The price difference was negligible.
Recent Examples on the Web That said, there are many highly-effective treatments that can definitely stave off worsening symptoms and even take psoriasis from severe to negligible with few or no side effects. 
Cassie Shortsleeve, Men's Health, 16 Sep. 2022 The brothers, who were paid negligible wages for their work, couldn’t afford the fee. Cezary Podkul, ProPublica, 13 Sep. 2022 Effectively all of its sales for the week were on CD (a negligible number were sold via digital download); the set was not issued on any other physical format. Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 9 Aug. 2022 Effectively all of its sales for the week were on CD (a negligible number were sold via digital download); the set was not issued on any other physical format. Keith Caulfield, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Aug. 2022 The 49ers hope the drop-off from Mack is negligible or nonexistent. Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Sep. 2022 From this perspective, the Nenana-Totchaket area seems negligible. Yasmin Tayag, The New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2022 The Hyundai Ioniq 5 shows itself to be a confident performer with negligible body roll while cornering thanks to its wide stance and a ton of mass placed down low. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 20 Aug. 2022 Researchers from Princeton and Dartmouth said the impact could be negligible or as much as 22 million tons (20 million metric tons) in the U.S., plus much more abroad. Matthew Brown And Michael Phillis, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Aug. 2022 See More
Cassie Shortsleeve, Men's Health, 16 Sep. 2022 The brothers, who were paid negligible wages for their work, couldn’t afford the fee. Cezary Podkul, ProPublica, 13 Sep. 2022 Effectively all of its sales for the week were on CD (a negligible number were sold via digital download); the set was not issued on any other physical format. Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 9 Aug. 2022 Effectively all of its sales for the week were on CD (a negligible number were sold via digital download); the set was not issued on any other physical format. Keith Caulfield, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Aug. 2022 The 49ers hope the drop-off from Mack is negligible or nonexistent. Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Sep. 2022 From this perspective, the Nenana-Totchaket area seems negligible. Yasmin Tayag, The New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2022 The Hyundai Ioniq 5 shows itself to be a confident performer with negligible body roll while cornering thanks to its wide stance and a ton of mass placed down low. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 20 Aug. 2022 Researchers from Princeton and Dartmouth said the impact could be negligible or as much as 22 million tons (20 million metric tons) in the U.S., plus much more abroad. Matthew Brown And Michael Phillis, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Latinization of French négligeable, from négliger "to disregard, neglect" (going back to Middle French negliger, borrowed from Latin neglegere, neclegere "to disregard, do nothing about") + -able -able — more at neglect entry 1
First Known Use
1829, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
negligible
adjective
neg·li·gi·ble ˈne-glə-jə-bəl
: so small or unimportant as to deserve little or no attention
Crops received a negligible amount of rainfall.
negligible
adjective
1
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention the two cents in change was such a negligible sum that she left the store without bothering to take it Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- nominal
- slight
- insignificant
- trivial
- inconsequential
- inconsiderable
- tiny
- petty
- trifling
- piddling
- piffling
- measly
- piddly
- paltry
- niggling
- minute
- pimping
- picayune
- peanut
- footling
- de minimis
- imperceptible
- chicken
- inappreciable
- puny
- little
- Mickey Mouse
- no-account
- inferior
- mean
- quibbling
- nitpicking
- pettifogging
- hairsplitting
- small-fry
- two-bit
- one-horse
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- considerable
- significant
- important
- substantial
- big
- serious
- material
- consequential
- outstanding
- appreciable
- remarkable
- noteworthy
- pivotal
- conspicuous
- prominent
- striking
- momentous
- discernible
- measurable
- weighty
- eventful
- discernable
2
as in minor
lacking importance the results from that small study of coffee drinkers are negligible and can be ignored Synonyms & Similar Words
- minor
- small
- slight
- little
- insignificant
- trivial
- unimportant
- worthless
- inconsiderable
- inconsequential
- incidental
- trifling
- nugatory
- frivolous
- foolish
- fiddling
- minute
- small-fry
- petty
- neither here nor there
- Mickey Mouse
- unknown
- obscure
- paltry
- anonymous
- uncelebrated
- jerkwater
- small-time
- nickel-and-dime
- nameless
- one-horse
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- significant
- substantial
- important
- major
- meaningful
- big
- fatal
- consequential
- decisive
- momentous
- dominant
- weighty
- outstanding
- impressive
- material
- remarkable
- eventful
- principal
- overriding
- prominent
- valuable
- worthwhile
- exceptional
- unfrivolous
- worthy
- distinctive
- chief
- fateful
- great
- overbearing
- distinguished
- essential
- fundamental
- eminent
- basic
- famous
- notorious
- prestigious
- key
- overmastering
- renowned
- illustrious
- preeminent
- all-important
3
as in small
small in degree there's a negligible chance I may make it to the picnic, but don't count on it Synonyms & Similar Words
- small
- off
- slim
- minimal
- slight
- marginal
- outside
- fragile
- minor
- remote
- tiny
- little
- frail
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- large
- good
- significant
- great
- significant
- substantial
- considerable
- distinct
- sizable
- respectable
- healthy
- sizeable
- largish
- goodly
- tidy