Synonyms of minute

minute 1 of 3

noun

ˈmi-nət 

as in second

a very small space of time

I'll be with you in just a minute

Synonyms & Similar Words

• second
• moment
• heartbeat
• instant
• nanosecond
• split second
• jiffy
• wink
• trice
• twinkling
• twinkle
• flash
• shake
• New York minute
• beat
• eyeblink
• microsecond
• jiff
• snatch
• spurt

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• age
• eternity
• forever
• lifetime
• eon
• infinity

minute

2 of 3

adjective

mī-ˈnüt 

1

as in detailed

including many small descriptive features

a minute description of the setting of the story

Synonyms & Similar Words

• detailed
• full
• thorough
• particular
• entire
• comprehensive
• elaborate
• circumstantial
• accurate
• blow-by-blow
• complete
• descriptive
• specific
• particularized
• precise
• graphic
• panoramic
• vivid
• exact
• specified
• distinct
• itemized
• explicit
• copious
• exhaustive
• listed
• inclusive
• correct
• exhausting
• thoroughgoing
• abundant
• in-depth
• omnibus
• enumerated
• numerated
• encyclopedic
• picturesque
• replete
• delineated
• inventoried
• mapped (out)
• sharp
• inclusionary

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• summary
• short
• brief
• succinct
• concise
• compendious
• terse
• pithy
• compact
• crisp
• cut
• abbreviated
• curtailed
• abridged
• shortened
• trimmed
• vague
• indeterminate
• general
• ambiguous
• pruned
• nondescript
• sketchy
• overall
• broad
• nebulous
• unspecified
• nonspecific
• bird's-eye

2

as in little

lacking importance

a person who wastes her time on the most minute aspects of everyday life

Synonyms & Similar Words

• little
• small
• minor
• slight
• trivial
• unimportant
• worthless
• incidental
• trifling
• insignificant
• inconsequential
• negligible
• inconsiderable
• foolish
• nugatory
• frivolous
• neither here nor there
• Mickey Mouse
• fiddling
• petty
• small-fry
• one-horse
• anonymous
• obscure
• jerkwater
• paltry
• small-time
• nickel-and-dime
• unknown
• nameless
• uncelebrated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• major
• important
• significant
• momentous
• substantial
• big
• meaningful
• eventful
• fateful
• decisive
• consequential
• fatal
• principal
• material
• weighty
• chief
• dominant
• remarkable
• worthy
• valuable
• impressive
• outstanding
• prominent
• distinctive
• exceptional
• worthwhile
• great
• overriding
• overbearing
• unfrivolous
• basic
• distinguished
• key
• fundamental
• famous
• eminent
• illustrious
• prestigious
• essential
• all-important
• overmastering
• notorious
• renowned
• preeminent

3

as in nominal

so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention

only minute differences between the two photographic prints

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nominal
• slight
• tiny
• measly
• trivial
• footling
• petty
• trifling
• inconsequential
• negligible
• insignificant
• piddling
• piffling
• inconsiderable
• niggling
• paltry
• Mickey Mouse
• chicken
• picayune
• pimping
• little
• piddly
• peanut
• imperceptible
• de minimis
• no-account
• inappreciable
• mean
• puny
• inferior
• pettifogging
• quibbling
• nitpicking
• one-horse
• hairsplitting
• small-fry
• two-bit

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• important
• significant
• considerable
• big
• serious
• substantial
• material
• consequential
• remarkable
• striking
• outstanding
• prominent
• momentous
• noteworthy
• conspicuous
• pivotal
• eventful
• weighty
• appreciable
• measurable
• discernible

4

as in subtle

made or done with extreme care and accuracy

a minute examination of the marine specimen

Synonyms & Similar Words

• subtle
• nice
• exact
• fine
• delicate
• nuanced
• meticulous
• trivial
• particular
• refined
• hairsplitting
• finespun
• inconsequential
• trifling
• demanding
• petty
• hairline
• insignificant
• negligible
• exacting
• quibbling
• inconsiderable
• nitpicking
• frivolous
• piddling
• finicking
• picky
• finicky
• fussy
• fastidious
• finical

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rough
• clear
• coarse
• apparent
• obvious
• evident
• inexact
• plain
• manifest
• transparent
• broad
• unmistakable
• unambiguous
• palpable
• unequivocal
• indefinite
• clear-cut
• careless
• perspicuous
• heedless
• patent
• open-and-shut
• sloppy
• slapdash
• incautious
• slipshod

5

as in tiny

very small in size

made some minute adjustments to the controls

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tiny
• minuscule
• microscopic
• miniature
• small
• little
• wee
• infinitesimal
• atomic
• teeny
• teensy
• weeny
• bitty
• little bitty
• bitsy
• baby
• mini
• model
• itty-bitty
• micro
• teensy-weensy
• diminutive
• teeny-weeny
• pocket
• petite
• microminiature
• half-pint
• dwarf
• pocket-size
• smallish
• elfin
• pygmy
• insignificant
• puny
• dinky
• dwarfish
• Lilliputian
• minikin
• scrubby
• undersized
• pint-size

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• huge
• tremendous
• massive
• major
• large
• enormous
• monster
• monumental
• big
• gigantic
• great
• planetary
• cosmic
• heroic
• immense
• substantial
• giant
• mammoth
• grand
• colossal
• considerable
• good
• monstrous
• extensive
• mountainous
• titanic
• astronomical
• prodigious
• whopping
• herculean
• gross
• sizable
• hefty
• goodly
• handsome
• super
• jumbo
• bulky
• elephantine
• staggering
• oversize
• stupendous
• majestic
• imposing
• formidable
• grandiose
• lofty
• monolithic
• infinite
• bumper
• towering
• overgrown
• vast
• largish
• voluminous
• outsize
• whacking
• king-size
• hulking
• immeasurable
• cavernous
• boundless
• overscale
• vasty

minute

3 of 3

verb

as in to transcribe

Related Words

• transcribe
• chronicle
• record
• report
• mark
• jot (down)
• write down
• note
• log
• set down
• take down
• register
• enter
• put down
• notch
• inscribe
• score
• chalk (up)
• enregister

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective minute differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of minute are circumstantial, detailed, and particular. While all these words mean "dealing with a matter fully and usually point by point," minute implies close and searching attention to the smallest details.

a minute examination of a fossil

In what contexts can circumstantial take the place of minute?

The synonyms circumstantial and minute are sometimes interchangeable, but circumstantial implies fullness of detail that fixes something described in time and space.

a circumstantial account of our visit

When might detailed be a better fit than minute?

Although the words detailed and minute have much in common, detailed stresses abundance or completeness of detail.

a detailed analysis of the event

When is particular a more appropriate choice than minute?

The words particular and minute can be used in similar contexts, but particular implies a precise attention to every detail.

a particular description of the scene of the crime

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of minute

Noun

Authorities reached the suspect in less than a minute, Davis said. —Amanda Musa, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026

Houston defender Antônio Carlos was tagged with a red card in the second minute of stoppage time in a scoreless first half, forcing the Dynamo to play a man down from there. —CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026

Adjective

The beam is magnitudes stronger than a medical X-ray, and can rapidly identify minute traces of chemicals from ink that has been erased, said University of Wisconsin physics researcher Minhal Gardezi, part of the Hipparchus team. —Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026

This spectacular image of HH 80 and HH 81 and its capability to allow astronomers to study minute changes in the structure of these incredible cosmic bodies, was only possible thanks to the sensitivity and resolution of Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 18 Jan. 2026

Phrases Containing minute

• New York minute
• a mile a minute
• last minute