minuscule

1 of 2

adjective

mi·​nus·​cule ˈmi-nə-ˌskyül How to pronounce minuscule (audio)
 also  mi-ˈnə-
1
: very small
minuscule amounts
2
: written in or in the size or style of minuscules

minuscule

2 of 2

noun

1
: a lowercase letter
2
a
: one of several ancient and medieval writing styles developed from cursive and having simplified and small forms
b
: a letter in this style

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Minuscule derives from the Latin adjective minusculus, which means "rather small." The minuscule spelling is consistent with the word's etymology, but since the 19th century, people have also been spelling it miniscule, perhaps because they associate it with the combining form mini- and words such as minimal and minimum. Usage commentators generally consider the miniscule spelling an error, but it is widely used in reputable and carefully edited publications and is accepted as a legitimate variant in some dictionaries.

Examples of minuscule in a Sentence

Adjective public health officials have claimed that the chemical is harmless in such minuscule amounts
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The crowd on Saturday was minuscule despite free admission, likely dooming the Clash from returning for a fourth year. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2024 There’s something distinctly out-of-control about having an unpredictable pack animal in your home, not to mention one that tracks in all kinds of allergens and minuscule crawly things. Jim Cosgrove, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024 According to the theory, there should be only a minuscule separation between an electron's center of mass and center of charge—in other words, its electric dipole moment. Luke Caldwell, Scientific American, 16 Jan. 2024 That’s because the minuscule particles can invade individual cells and tissues in major organs, potentially interrupting cellular processes and depositing endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as bisphenols, phthalates, flame retardants, per- and polyfluorinated substances, or PFAS, and heavy metals. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2024 With royalty rates minuscule and algorithmic playlists the primary form of song dispersal, artists are increasingly less interested in crafting a body of work that speaks as a whole. David Renshaw, WIRED, 26 Dec. 2023 John Alt’s contract as a first-round draft pick in 1984 was sizeable, but minuscule compared to today’s deals. Charley Walters, Twin Cities, 10 Feb. 2024 While questioning Takacs, Buzbee repeatedly referred to the amount of Valium in Grossman’s blood as minuscule. Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2024 Even a species as minuscule as the fruit fly represents a substantial neurological challenge. IEEE Spectrum, 30 Jan. 2024
Noun
There's beauty in the minuscule and mighty alike in Namibia — a photographer's paradise, even for amateurs. Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 17 July 2023 New quote-tweets started to pour in, each one putting me in front of another audience of followers, some minuscule and others quite large. Willy Staley, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2023 But Transit of Venus also concerns itself with the minuscule—that tiny dot of Venus moving across the vast sun—in the miscalculations and determination of one young woman from the far side of the world. Hillary Kelly, The New Republic, 4 Jan. 2023 In 2019, Ukraine sent roughly 200,000 tons of steel to the US, minuscule compared to the 26.3 million tons of steel that the US imported in total that year. Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 9 May 2022 This finally revealed a Latin inscription written in cursive Carolingian minuscule. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 29 Apr. 2022 Parents who were predisposed not to vaccinate their child tended to dismiss the threat of serious illness from Covid as minuscule, saying that children who became seriously ill most likely had underlying conditions. New York Times, 30 Oct. 2021 Parents who were predisposed not to vaccinate their child tended to dismiss the threat of serious illness from COVID as minuscule, saying that children who became seriously ill most likely had underlying conditions. BostonGlobe.com, 30 Oct. 2021 Those injuries made their margin for error minuscule, and that would be the margin that decided their season. Ben Cohen, WSJ, 21 June 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'minuscule.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from French & New Latin; French, "lower case (of a letter)," borrowed from New Latin minusculus, going back to Latin, "somewhat smaller, fairly small," from the base of minor, minus "smaller" (comparative of parvus "small") + -culus, diminutive suffix — more at minor entry 1

Noun

borrowed from French & New Latin; French, borrowed from New Latin minuscula (short for littera minuscula "smaller letter"), from feminine of Latin minusculus "somewhat smaller" — more at minuscule entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1703, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1701, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of minuscule was in 1701

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Dictionary Entries Near minuscule

Cite this Entry

“Minuscule.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minuscule. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

minuscule

adjective
mi·​nus·​cule
ˈmi-nəs-ˌkyül
: very small
minuscule amounts

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