modicum

noun

mo·​di·​cum ˈmä-di-kəm 

also ˈmō-

: a small portion : a limited quantity

had only a modicum of mathematical skills

Did you know?

The Origins of Modicum Can Be Found in the Bathroom

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the English language has more than a modicum of words referring to a small amount of something—it has oodles, from smidgen to soupçon. But while modicum can be applied to countable or physical things (like words or salt) it is almost always applied instead to abstract concepts like respect, success, control, hope, dignity, or privacy. Modicum traces back to the Latin noun modus, meaning “measure,” which just so happens to be the ancestor of more than a modicum of English words, from moderate and modify to mold and commode.

Synonyms of modicum

• damn
• whit
• lick
• shred
• hoot

Examples of modicum in a Sentence

only a modicum of skill is necessary to put the kit together

Recent Examples on the Web

The chance to make something, or do something, with little more than your hands, your determination, and a modicum of skill is the ultimate modern reward, one which no one can shortcut or replicate with AI. —Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 13 Jan. 2026

So, irrespective of recent improvements, January clearly needs to be used as stage one of a wider rebuild to help the club salvage a modicum of respectability and, more importantly, challenge to return from the Championship next season. —Steve Madeley, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026

The righty has had a modicum of big-league success. —Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026

Yet, though George, Charlotte, and Prince Louis are growing up in the royal fishbowl, the Prince and Princess of Wales also desire a modicum of privacy and normality for their three children. —Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 31 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin, neuter of modicus moderate, from modus measure

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

modicum

noun

mo·​di·​cum ˈmäd-i-kəm 

ˈmōd-

: a small amount

anyone with a modicum of intelligence would understand