insignificant

adjective in·sig·nif·i·cant \ ˌin(t)-sig-ˈni-fi-kənt \

Definition of insignificant

: not significant: such as

a : lacking meaning or import

b : not worth considering : unimportant

c : lacking weight, position, or influence : contemptible

d : small in size, quantity, or number

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insignificantly

adverb

See insignificant defined for English-language learners

See insignificant defined for kids

Examples of insignificant in a Sentence

They lost an insignificant amount of money.
Looking up at the stars always makes me feel so small and insignificant.
These problems are not insignificant.

Recent Examples of insignificant from the Web

Compared to that debacle, an MLS regular season game is insignificant.

— brian straus, SI.com, "MLS Power Rankings, Week 28: Atlanta United on Major Rise After Move to New Home," 19 Sep. 2017
It was used to suggest that the meeting was rather insignificant — a disappointment to all involved — and didn't go anywhere.

— aaron blake, Washington Post, "A very intriguing new subplot in the saga of Donald Trump Jr.’s Russia meeting," 31 Aug. 2017
The differences between bees in treated or untreated fields were largely insignificant, and many of the bees in both groups died before they could be counted.

— jon entine, Slate Magazine, "Do Neonics Hurt Bees? Researchers and the Media Say Yes. The Data Do Not.," 30 June 2017
Flame-resistant factory parts may seem like an insignificant side note, but Robertson’s Protected Metals, later called Galbestos, were instrumental in growing the nation’s manufacturing sector in size and scale.

— rebecca altman, The Atlantic, "How the Benzene Tree Polluted the World," 4 Oct. 2017
All the backend stuff has to work properly—matching drivers and riders and so on—but there's the not-insignificant matter of persuading people to sign up, to trust you enough to use your service, and to tell their friends.

— jonathan m. gitlin, Ars Technica, "Lyft and Ford will team up for self-driving car network," 27 Sep. 2017
Several fans here for Game 6 returned for Game 7, hardly an insignificant decision.

— a.j. perez, USA TODAY, "Houston Strong: Astros deliver first World Series championship to post-hurricane Houston," 2 Nov. 2017
While there are differences in the B&C score of antlers of same-age bucks from the nine ecological regions used by TPWD, those differences are, in most cases, so small as to be insignificant.

— shannon tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "Texas' deer hunting season looks inviting," 1 Nov. 2017
Now: Between Gossip Girl and his two hit shows, Matts scored two more insignificant roles, playing an EMT on an episode of Royal Pains and an officer on Elementary.

— peggy truong, Cosmopolitan, "Gossip Girl Characters: Where Are They Now?," 19 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'insignificant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.