modicum
noun
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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
Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
Inter Miami is a relatively new MLS franchise, with co-owner David Beckham – who may have felt a modicum of sympathy for his former club, the LA Galaxy, not getting an invite to FIFA’s party – the original reason for this franchise gaining relevance in 2018.
—Glen Levy, CNN Money, 20 June 2025
Unfortunately, a modicum of common sense or decency is not employed by these guys.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 1 June 2025
His background and experience from Trump’s first term gives him a modicum of credibility, and his current lowkey efforts to reintroduce process discipline and clarity into the frenetic tariff policy whiplash deserves recognition.
—Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for modicum
Cite this Entry
“Modicum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/modicum. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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modicum
noun
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