minor

1 of 3

adjective

mi·​nor ˈmī-nər How to pronounce minor (audio)
1
: inferior in importance, size, or degree : comparatively unimportant
a minor artist
2
: not having reached majority (see majority sense 2)
He is the father of minor children.
3
a
: having half steps between the second and third, the fifth and sixth, and sometimes the seventh and eighth degrees
minor scale
b
: based on a minor scale
minor key
c
: less by a semitone than the corresponding major interval
minor third
d
: having a minor third above the root
minor triad
4
: not serious or involving risk to life
minor illness
5
: of or relating to an academic subject requiring fewer courses than a major
his minor subjects for his M.A. were plant ecology and entomologyCurrent Biography

minor

2 of 3

noun

1
: a person who is not yet old enough to have the rights of an adult
2
: a minor musical interval, scale, key, or mode
3
a
: a minor academic subject
b
: a student taking a specified minor
4
: a determinant or matrix obtained from a given determinant or matrix by eliminating the row and column in which a given element lies
5
minors plural : minor league baseball
used with the

minor

3 of 3

verb

minored; minoring; minors

intransitive verb

: to take courses in a minor subject

Examples of minor in a Sentence

Adjective Her role in the project was minor. I'm not worried about minor details. The grant covered only a minor part of the cost. The delay will be minor. He suffered a minor heart attack. Noun families with children who are still minors The nightclub was shut down for selling alcohol to a minor. She majored in chemistry with a minor in biology.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Human hands have some minor distinctions among primates that make a big difference. Sabrina Sholts, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024 Some suggest minor improvements of pacing, setting, and tone. Maya Binyam, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 More recently, programs such as Adobe Photoshop allow editors to make changes to photos; some may be minor, editorially acceptable adjustments. Brian Fung, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 The overwhelming team effort made the fact that Watkins remained four points away from tying Cheryl Miller’s USC single-season scoring record a minor footnote. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024 The co-pilot suffered a minor hand injury, and the helicopter was significantly damaged. Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 9 Mar. 2024 This is seemingly a minor drop, but the average smooths out significant variations between cities. Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024 Both were healthy and active aside from minor skin lesions and mild cases of ringworm. Stephanie Gallman Jordan, Southern Living, 29 Feb. 2024 Outside of the initial styling, while the shape of the plant is accentuated by pruning back extra branches or removing sections of leaves, ongoing maintenance is limited to a minor pruning during spring or summer. Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024
Noun
The child safety advocate said parents should have regular conversations with their children about the dangers of dating apps and social media platforms in general, where predators may be seeking to connect with minors. Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 8 Mar. 2024 On this issue, the court emphasized that the return-to-work agreement barred unvaccinated actors from being on set with minors under the age of 12 and others for whom the vaccine was not yet available. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 The older brother of a Missouri Republican state lawmaker on Thursday denounced his brother’s decision to file a first-in-the-nation proposal that would criminalize teachers for supporting transgender minors. Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 The sheriff's office said the girl is an unaccompanied minor from Honduras, who was placed with a sponsor in Middletown by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2024 The original bill would have banned minors under 16 from popular social media platforms regardless of parental consent. Brendan Farrington, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 The alleged acts involved an unnamed minor who received coaching from Peck, according to a 2003 police statement. Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Creators also express worry about the software gaining a reputation for NSFW images, encouraging others to report images depicting minors on Reddit and model-hosting sites. Lydia Morrish, WIRED, 6 Mar. 2024 An intentional fire set in a school bus full of minors presents an unacceptable risk to those minors and the community at large. Eric Levenson, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024
Verb
Emma, one of about 20 Oxford survivors at the university, decided to minor in women’s studies, hoping to one day get a doctorate, maybe become a professor and teach students like her. John Woodrow Cox, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Feb. 2023 While earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism, Carly chose to minor in event planning. Carly Totten, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Dec. 2022 At this institution, everyone is required to minor in biblical studies. Leslie Ambriz, refinery29.com, 15 Sep. 2022 Tens of thousands of times a year, hospitals charge enormously expensive trauma alert fees for injuries so minor the patient is never admitted. Jay Hancock, CNN, 16 July 2021 In a news release, the school said students in the fall will be able to pursue a Bachelor of Arts or Science degree in public health and may also minor in public health. From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2021 The weather map on Monday shows somewhat active weather across the Great Lakes and into the Northeast, where areas of rain will mix will minor snow accumulations. Todd Nelson, Star Tribune, 28 Feb. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'minor.' 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 and Noun

Latin, smaller, inferior; akin to Old High German minniro smaller, Latin minuere to lessen

First Known Use

Adjective

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of minor was in 1526

Dictionary Entries Near minor

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

minor

1 of 2 adjective
mi·​nor ˈmī-nər How to pronounce minor (audio)
1
: less in size, importance, or value
a minor poet
a minor injury
2
: not having reached the age to have full civil rights
3
a
: relating to or being a musical scale in which the third tone is lowered a half step
b
: based on a minor scale
minor key

minor

2 of 2 noun
: a person who has not reached the age to have full civil rights

Medical Definition

minor

1 of 2 adjective
mi·​nor ˈmī-nər How to pronounce minor (audio)
: not serious or involving risk to life
minor illness
a minor operation
compare major

minor

2 of 2 noun
: a person of either sex under the age of legal qualification for adult rights and responsibilities that has traditionally been 21 in the United States but is now 18 in many states or sometimes less under certain circumstances (as marriage or pregnancy)

Legal Definition

minor

1 of 2 noun
mi·​nor
: a person who has not yet reached the age of majority compare adult, juvenile, major

minor

2 of 2 adjective
1
a
: being less important or serious
a minor official
a minor offense
b
: involving, relating to, or dealing with less important matters
2
: having the status of a minor
minor children

More from Merriam-Webster on minor

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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