as in damn
the smallest amount or part imaginable
only a modicum of skill is necessary to put the kit together
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Recent Examples of modicum
That should give Taiwan — and Lai personally — at least a modicum of comfort.
—
Andy Browne, semafor.com, 15 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
See All Example Sentences for modicum
Andy Browne, semafor.com, 15 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
See All Example Sentences for modicum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modicum
Noun
-
With Pres as the DJ, Gabe rips through damn-near all of Sortilège like a pro.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
30 Jan. 2026
-
But does anyone worth a damn really want to go to Madison right now?—
Manny Navarro,
New York Times,
24 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Moreover, Trump cares not a whit about bringing drug traffickers to justice.—
Peter Kornbluh,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Miss Keaton…is not a whit like the flustered ingénue she was cast to play.—
Chris Morris,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Every fashion photographer, model, chat-show host, and film director ends up here, on a perfect lick of beach, a short hop from the main drag of frisky boho Tulum.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
-
And all without a lick of spandex.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There is not a shred of doubt that the center is used to peddle the influence of Iran’s political Islam.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Any shred of free time is too easy to fill with more work, more worrying, more commitments, and, of course, more aimless scrolling.—
Bekah Waalkes,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Blackhawks dressing room was a rowdy scene after the game, their hoots and hollers reverberating throughout the bowels of the United Center.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Why else show nubby fleece trousers with a coordinating striped jacket, which nobody needs but would be a hoot to wear?—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Modicum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modicum. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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