modicum
noun
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.
Examples of modicum in a Sentence
Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
The bittersweet musical numbers lend all the characters — even the comic-relief ones — some modicum of humanity, and Latif’s playful visual style enhances the ironic elements of the tale.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Sensing there are stretches that require at least a modicum of steering, Brettkelly gets one or two of the older guys to do somewhat jarring off-camera narration/summation, in which the speaker is identified in subtitles in some instances and not others.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
Even the groups showed a modicum of improvement with Swatch Group, Richemont, and LVMH each posting gains of less than 1 percent.
—Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for modicum
Cite this Entry
“Modicum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/modicum. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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modicum
noun
