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
… was suffering terribly from the bad reviews and negligible sales of his first book …—
E. L. Doctorow
E. L. Doctorow
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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
On its own, coffee is a low-calorie beverage, with no fat or carbs and a negligible amount of protein.
—Health Editorial Team, Health, 1 Nov. 2025
Stein’s mother, who seems to have been a mild, negligible presence compared with her harsh, critical father, died of cancer when Stein was 14.
—Daphne Merkin, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
The negligible homicide case is seen through the strongest of microscopes, bringing flashbacks of the backstory into sharp focus as questions about faith and the human psyche soon arise.
—Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
If every single human were to die tomorrow, the chance of the Homo sapiens genome evolving identically is negligible.
—Big Think, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for negligible
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Health Editorial Team, Health, 1 Nov. 2025
Stein’s mother, who seems to have been a mild, negligible presence compared with her harsh, critical father, died of cancer when Stein was 14.
—Daphne Merkin, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
The negligible homicide case is seen through the strongest of microscopes, bringing flashbacks of the backstory into sharp focus as questions about faith and the human psyche soon arise.
—Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
If every single human were to die tomorrow, the chance of the Homo sapiens genome evolving identically is negligible.
—Big Think, 29 Oct. 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 6 Nov. 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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