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Synonyms

iota

American  
[ahy-oh-tuh] / aɪˈoʊ tə /

noun

  1. a very small quantity; jot; whit.

    Synonyms:
    mite, grain, atom, particle, bit

  2. the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet (I, ι).

  3. the vowel sound represented by this letter.

iota British  
/ aɪˈəʊtə /

noun

  1. the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet (Ι, ι), a vowel or semivowel, transliterated as i or j

  2. (usually used with a negative) a very small amount; jot (esp in the phrase not one or an iota )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
iota Idioms  

  1. see not one iota.

Etymology

Origin of iota

1600–10; < Latin iōta < Greek iôta < Semitic; compare Hebrew yōdh yod

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.

But even those betray an iota of human-made whimsy, a sparkle of vulnerability.

From Slate • Jan. 7, 2026

The jokes in “Happy Gilmore 2” don’t require a single iota of thought, only a death-grip on nostalgia.

From Salon • Jul. 27, 2025

But even if she’d been driving a fire truck in the Palisades, it wouldn’t have made an iota of difference in the disaster.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2025

But Unison argued negotiations had "not moved one iota" since it informed the body it would move towards strike action.

From BBC • Jul. 21, 2024

The oak doors groaned open, and the three of us stepped iota the entry hall in a swirl of snow.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan

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.