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
Large firms ignore early-stage disruptors because their technology initially underperforms, their market is too small, or their profitability is negligible.
—
Esade Business & Law School, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Although Cruz’s dancing abilities weren’t negligible, her voice was incomparable.
—Leila Cobo, Billboard, 23 Apr. 2025
However, Tehran’s two recent direct attacks on Israel with ballistic missiles and drones caused negligible damage, while Israel responded by destroying Iranian air defense systems.
—Jon Gambrell and Amir Vahdat, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2025
At the time of publication, a negligible amount of the IP token was held solely to test protocol functionality.
—Gary Weinstein, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for negligible
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Esade Business & Law School, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Although Cruz’s dancing abilities weren’t negligible, her voice was incomparable.
—Leila Cobo, Billboard, 23 Apr. 2025
However, Tehran’s two recent direct attacks on Israel with ballistic missiles and drones caused negligible damage, while Israel responded by destroying Iranian air defense systems.
—Jon Gambrell and Amir Vahdat, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2025
At the time of publication, a negligible amount of the IP token was held solely to test protocol functionality.
—Gary Weinstein, Forbes, 25 Mar. 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 2 May. 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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