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
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.
Examples of negligible in a Sentence
A negligible amount of damage was done to the vehicle.
The price difference was negligible.
Recent Examples on the Web
Because golden visa transactions represent such a small fraction of overall activity in the European countries that have implemented such initiatives, Daniels thinks their impact on the U.S. housing market would be negligible.
—
William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
Today, though, studies show the energy savings (including not just lighting but electronics and autos) is negligible.
—Roger Dooley, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Here, the noise is negligible—the only thing that really intrudes into the cabin is wind rushing around the windshield.
—Alex Goy, Ars Technica, 2 Mar. 2025
Ukraine does produce titanium, a mineral the Trump administration has shown additional interest in, but their production and reserves are negligible, according to the USGS.
—Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for negligible
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William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
Today, though, studies show the energy savings (including not just lighting but electronics and autos) is negligible.
—Roger Dooley, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Here, the noise is negligible—the only thing that really intrudes into the cabin is wind rushing around the windshield.
—Alex Goy, Ars Technica, 2 Mar. 2025
Ukraine does produce titanium, a mineral the Trump administration has shown additional interest in, but their production and reserves are negligible, according to the USGS.
—Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for negligible
Cite this Entry
“Negligible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/negligible. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
negligible
adjective
neg·li·gi·ble
ˈneg-li-jə-bəl
: so small or unimportant as to deserve little or no attention
a negligible error
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