negligible

[ neg-li-juh-buhl ]

adjective

1. so small, trifling, or unimportant that it may safely be neglected or disregarded:

   The extra expenses were negligible.

negligible

/ ˈnɛɡlɪdʒəbəl /

adjective

1. so small, unimportant, etc, as to be not worth considering; insignificant

Derived Forms

• ˈnegligibly, adverb
• ˌnegligiˈbility, noun

Other Words From

• negli·gi·bili·ty negli·gi·ble·ness noun
• negli·gi·bly adverb
• nonneg·li·gi·bili·ty noun
• non·negli·gi·ble adjective
• non·negli·gi·ble·ness noun
• non·negli·gi·bly adverb
• quasi-negli·gi·ble adjective
• quasi-negli·gi·bly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of negligible¹

1820–30; < Latin neglig ( ere ) to neglect + -ible

Example Sentences

That’s a negligible difference, Gross said, and means that films don’t need to be held — or sped up — before they’re ready.

From Los Angeles Times

"Violence is negligible compared to previous elections. It will be peaceful elections," hopes Rohana Hettiarachchie.

From BBC

And for now, Chinese-led diplomacy is all there is because Western influence is negligible.

From BBC

Their output is voluminous, their methods are clear, their integrity is evident, and their impact appears to be negligible.

From Slate

In this very extreme model of “cooking”—most people don’t leave their spatulas in the fryer and walk away for a quarter of an hour—most, though not all, of the samples collected had “negligible” amounts of these chemicals in them.

From Slate

Related Words

• imperceptible
• inconsequential
• slight
• slim
• trivial
• unimportant