minuscule

American  

[min-uh-skyool, mi-nuhs-kyool] / ˈmɪn əˌskyul, mɪˈnʌs kyul /

adjective

1. very small.

2. (of letters or writing) small; not capital.

3. written in such letters (majuscule ).

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noun

1. a minuscule letter.

2. a small cursive script developed in the 7th century a.d. from the uncial, which it afterward superseded.

minuscule British  

/ mɪˈnʌskjʊlə, ˈmɪnəˌskjuːl /

noun

1. a lower-case letter

2. writing using such letters

3. a small cursive 7th-century style of lettering derived from the uncial

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adjective

1. relating to, printed in, or written in small letters Compare majuscule

2. very small

3. (of letters) lower-case

Spelling

Minuscule, from Latin minus meaning “less,” has frequently come to be spelled miniscule, perhaps under the influence of the prefix mini- in the sense “of a small size.” Although this newer spelling is criticized by many, it occurs with such frequency in edited writing that some consider it a variant spelling rather than a misspelling.

Other Word Forms

• minuscular adjective

Etymology

Origin of minuscule

First recorded in 1695–1705; from Latin minusculus “smallish, pretty small, minor”; minus, -cule ¹

Explanation

When something is teeny tiny, it is minuscule. If your mother calls your miniskirt minuscule, it probably means she wants you to change into something a bit less revealing. In minuscule, you see the word, minus, which means lesser. The word minuscule has its roots in the Latin expression minuscula littera, a phrase used to describe the smaller letters in text. In the late 1800s, the use of the word expanded to mean very small in general — so the definition of minuscule became less minuscule.

Example Sentences

It proves you can create something wonderful in a minuscule amount of time and almost no effort.

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026

Plenty of growth-oriented tech companies make minuscule payouts that they raise regularly but don’t offer investors much in the way of income.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

By carefully adjusting reservoir temperatures and tracking minuscule heat flows, the quantum refrigerator can operate in multiple ways.

From Science Daily • Jan. 29, 2026

OpenAI said that, in a given week, the slice of users who indicate possible signs of mental-health emergencies related to psychosis or mania is a minuscule 0.07%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025

The sting shot pain all the way to my elbow, causing me to marvel at how much punishment a minuscule creature can inflict.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

Related Words

• insignificant
• microscopic
• small
• tiny