Synonyms of minute

minute 1 of 3

noun

ˈmi-nət 

as in second

a very small space of time

I'll be with you in just a minute

Synonyms & Similar Words

• second
• moment
• heartbeat
• instant
• nanosecond
• split second
• jiffy
• wink
• trice
• twinkling
• twinkle
• flash
• shake
• New York minute
• beat
• eyeblink
• microsecond
• jiff
• snatch
• spurt

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• age
• forever
• eternity
• lifetime
• eon
• aeon
• infinity

minute

2 of 3

adjective

mī-ˈnüt 

1

as in detailed

including many small descriptive features

a minute description of the setting of the story

Synonyms & Similar Words

• detailed
• full
• thorough
• particular
• entire
• comprehensive
• elaborate
• circumstantial
• accurate
• blow-by-blow
• descriptive
• complete
• specific
• particularized
• precise
• graphic
• graphical
• panoramic
• exact
• vivid
• specified
• distinct
• itemized
• copious
• explicit
• exhaustive
• listed
• inclusive
• correct
• exhausting
• thoroughgoing
• abundant
• in-depth
• omnibus
• enumerated
• numerated
• encyclopedic
• picturesque
• replete
• delineated
• inventoried
• mapped (out)
• sharp
• inclusionary

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• summary
• short
• brief
• succinct
• concise
• compendious
• terse
• pithy
• compact
• crisp
• cut
• abbreviated
• curtailed
• abridged
• shortened
• trimmed
• vague
• indeterminate
• general
• ambiguous
• pruned
• nondescript
• sketchy
• overall
• broad
• nebulous
• unspecified
• nonspecific
• bird's-eye

2

as in little

lacking importance

a person who wastes her time on the most minute aspects of everyday life

Synonyms & Similar Words

• little
• small
• minor
• slight
• trivial
• unimportant
• worthless
• incidental
• trifling
• insignificant
• inconsequential
• negligible
• inconsiderable
• foolish
• nugatory
• frivolous
• neither here nor there
• Mickey Mouse
• fiddling
• petty
• small-fry
• one-horse
• anonymous
• obscure
• jerkwater
• paltry
• small-time
• nickel-and-dime
• unknown
• nameless
• uncelebrated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• major
• important
• significant
• momentous
• substantial
• big
• meaningful
• eventful
• fateful
• decisive
• consequential
• fatal
• principal
• material
• weighty
• chief
• dominant
• remarkable
• worthy
• valuable
• impressive
• outstanding
• prominent
• distinctive
• exceptional
• worthwhile
• great
• overriding
• overbearing
• unfrivolous
• basic
• distinguished
• key
• fundamental
• famous
• eminent
• illustrious
• prestigious
• essential
• all-important
• overmastering
• notorious
• renowned
• preeminent

3

as in nominal

so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention

only minute differences between the two photographic prints

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nominal
• slight
• tiny
• measly
• trivial
• footling
• petty
• trifling
• inconsequential
• negligible
• insignificant
• piddling
• piffling
• inconsiderable
• niggling
• paltry
• Mickey Mouse
• chicken
• picayune
• pimping
• little
• piddly
• peanut
• imperceptible
• de minimis
• no-account
• inappreciable
• mean
• puny
• inferior
• pettifogging
• quibbling
• nitpicking
• one-horse
• hairsplitting
• small-fry
• two-bit

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• important
• significant
• considerable
• big
• serious
• substantial
• material
• momentous
• consequential
• pivotal
• remarkable
• striking
• outstanding
• prominent
• noteworthy
• conspicuous
• eventful
• weighty
• appreciable
• discernible
• measurable
• discernable

4

as in subtle

made or done with extreme care and accuracy

a minute examination of the marine specimen

Synonyms & Similar Words

• subtle
• nice
• exact
• fine
• delicate
• nuanced
• meticulous
• trivial
• particular
• refined
• hairsplitting
• finespun
• inconsequential
• trifling
• demanding
• petty
• hairline
• insignificant
• negligible
• exacting
• quibbling
• inconsiderable
• nitpicking
• frivolous
• piddling
• finicking
• picky
• finicky
• fussy
• fastidious
• finical

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rough
• clear
• coarse
• apparent
• obvious
• evident
• inexact
• plain
• manifest
• transparent
• broad
• unmistakable
• unambiguous
• palpable
• unequivocal
• indefinite
• clear-cut
• careless
• perspicuous
• heedless
• patent
• open-and-shut
• sloppy
• slapdash
• incautious
• slipshod

5

as in tiny

very small in size

made some minute adjustments to the controls

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tiny
• minuscule
• miniature
• microscopic
• microscopical
• wee
• small
• infinitesimal
• little
• atomic
• weensy
• teeny
• teensy
• weeny
• bitty
• little bitty
• bitsy
• baby
• itsy-bitsy
• mini
• model
• itty-bitty
• teensy-weensy
• micro
• diminutive
• teeny-weeny
• pocket
• petite
• microminiature
• pocket-sized
• half-pint
• pocket-size
• dwarf
• smallish
• elfin
• pygmy
• undersize
• insignificant
• puny
• dinky
• dwarfish
• minikin
• Lilliputian
• scrubby
• undersized
• pint-sized
• pint-size

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• huge
• tremendous
• massive
• major
• enormous
• large
• monumental
• monster
• big
• gigantic
• great
• planetary
• cosmic
• heroic
• immense
• substantial
• giant
• mammoth
• grand
• colossal
• considerable
• good
• monstrous
• extensive
• mountainous
• titanic
• astronomical
• prodigious
• whopping
• herculean
• astronomic
• sizeable
• sizable
• gross
• hefty
• goodly
• handsome
• super
• jumbo
• cosmical
• bulky
• elephantine
• staggering
• oversized
• oversize
• stupendous
• majestic
• heroical
• imposing
• outsize
• outsized
• formidable
• grandiose
• lofty
• monolithic
• infinite
• towering
• bumper
• overgrown
• vast
• largish
• voluminous
• whacking
• king-size
• hulking
• immeasurable
• king-sized
• cavernous
• boundless
• overscale
• overscaled
• vasty

minute

3 of 3

verb

as in to transcribe

Synonyms & Similar Words

• transcribe
• chronicle
• record
• report
• mark
• jot (down)
• write down
• note
• log
• set down
• take down
• register
• enter
• put down
• notch
• inscribe
• score
• chalk (up)
• enregister

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective minute differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of minute are circumstantial, detailed, and particular. While all these words mean "dealing with a matter fully and usually point by point," minute implies close and searching attention to the smallest details.

a minute examination of a fossil

In what contexts can circumstantial take the place of minute?

The synonyms circumstantial and minute are sometimes interchangeable, but circumstantial implies fullness of detail that fixes something described in time and space.

a circumstantial account of our visit

When might detailed be a better fit than minute?

Although the words detailed and minute have much in common, detailed stresses abundance or completeness of detail.

a detailed analysis of the event

When is particular a more appropriate choice than minute?

The words particular and minute can be used in similar contexts, but particular implies a precise attention to every detail.

a particular description of the scene of the crime

Examples of minute in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Wiley denied all motions to suppress evidence on Oct. 4. Footage of the interaction, which began about 2 minutes after the incident started, captures Penny holding Neely for about 4 minutes and 57 seconds on a relatively empty train with a couple of male passengers nearby. —Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2024

Imagine waking up, working out for 15-30 minutes, and starting the day energized without stepping out the door. —Kyle J. Russell, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2024

Adjective

Society enlists us into war against animals The strategic case against veganism largely depends on the claim that the percentage of Americans who have gone vegetarian or vegan remains minute — perhaps as low as 2 percent — and has not appreciably increased in decades. —Jishnu Guha-Majumdar, Vox, 8 Aug. 2024

When in this pool, the magma melted the crustal rocks around it, which contained minute amounts of water, carbon dioxide and other gases, in addition to rhenium. —Rudy Molinek, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Aug. 2024

Phrases Containing minute

• New York minute
• a mile a minute
• last minute