1
as in speck
a very small piece
had only a nubbin of crayon left
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in root
the central part or aspect of something under consideration
this nubbin of the intelligence report is the prediction that the country's government will soon fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nubbin
Secchi’s ragù is the opposite of bouncy meat nubbins bobbing in tomato sauce.
—
Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Apr. 2025
Double-tapping the nubbin now pops up a menu with volume and microphone controls and voice typing.
—PCMAG, 17 Jan. 2025
The Carbon has two sets of pointing devices: a smallish touchpad, and ThinkPads' trademark TrackPoint keyboard nubbin with three mouse buttons.
—PCMAG, 17 Jan. 2025
Double-tapping the nubbin now pops up a menu with volume and microphone controls and voice typing.
—PCMAG, 17 Jan. 2025
Ground nubbins of paprika, cumin, sage and black pepper that have moldered into flavorless, colored molecules.
—Scott Hocker, theweek, 23 Dec. 2024
Heffernan, a gravely captivating newcomer, wraps each expression and gesture around a hard little nubbin of distrust.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
Being a bit of a handy man in a fight himself, Father Ryan taught Frankie how to roll with a punch, how to upset a right swing with a left stab to his shoulder, and how to swing in with a right cross to the nubbin of the chin while his man was off keel.
—Westbrook Pegler, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2024
That changed at 1:03 a.m. on Dec. 5 when 192 giant lasers at the laboratory’s National Ignition Facility blasted a small cylinder about the size of a pencil eraser that contained a frozen nubbin of hydrogen encased in diamond.
—Kenneth Chang, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Dec. 2022
Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Apr. 2025
Double-tapping the nubbin now pops up a menu with volume and microphone controls and voice typing.
—PCMAG, 17 Jan. 2025
The Carbon has two sets of pointing devices: a smallish touchpad, and ThinkPads' trademark TrackPoint keyboard nubbin with three mouse buttons.
—PCMAG, 17 Jan. 2025
Double-tapping the nubbin now pops up a menu with volume and microphone controls and voice typing.
—PCMAG, 17 Jan. 2025
Ground nubbins of paprika, cumin, sage and black pepper that have moldered into flavorless, colored molecules.
—Scott Hocker, theweek, 23 Dec. 2024
Heffernan, a gravely captivating newcomer, wraps each expression and gesture around a hard little nubbin of distrust.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
Being a bit of a handy man in a fight himself, Father Ryan taught Frankie how to roll with a punch, how to upset a right swing with a left stab to his shoulder, and how to swing in with a right cross to the nubbin of the chin while his man was off keel.
—Westbrook Pegler, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2024
That changed at 1:03 a.m. on Dec. 5 when 192 giant lasers at the laboratory’s National Ignition Facility blasted a small cylinder about the size of a pencil eraser that contained a frozen nubbin of hydrogen encased in diamond.
—Kenneth Chang, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Dec. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nubbin
Noun
-
When dishes air-dry, especially in a dishwasher or on a drying rack, the water evaporates, and these minerals remain on the surface, forming those unsightly white or grayish specks.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 June 2025
-
Her path had been ambitiously charted to include a refuelling stop on Howland Island, a speck between Hawaii and Australia.—
Laurie Gwen Shapiro,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
Noun
-
Targeted Treatment for Inherited Disease in Infants More tools than ever before are available to address the root cause when a concerning genetic change is detected.—
William A. Haseltine,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
-
One of the common root causes is that many of us instinctively fill every available surface, from drawers to shelves, and cabinets to closets.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 June 2025
Noun
-
Santo My Palo can best be described as an otherworldly nude shade with multicolored glittery flecks suspended in the gel that reflect light for a mega-watt sparkle.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
27 May 2025
-
The formula—which sparkles in the bottle with rose-gold flecks of glitter—is made more indulgent yet with its gourman, coconut-milk scent.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
The festival’s heart lies in the Cour d’honneur of the Palais des Papes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its original stage.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
-
Potential symptoms include insomnia, muscle cramps, constipation, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, weakness, numbness, tingling, personality changes and heart arrhythmias, experts say.—
Amy McGorry,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
From a headline view, the 139,000 gain in nonfarm payrolls provided a nice bit of relief for a market on edge over the direction of the economy and the impact that President Donald Trump’s tariffs might bring.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
6 June 2025
-
From its cute-fake soundstage-town setting to the authoritative yet chummy voice-over narration (courtesy of Nick Offerman), The Life of Chuck works doggedly to give you the warm fuzzies—and a little bit of that fuzz goes a long way.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
Mayor Lauren McLean said the new hotels are helping link the core of downtown to other parts of downtown along Grove Street.—
Nick Rosenberger,
Idaho Statesman,
4 June 2025
-
Bitcoin’s Code Remains Decentralized, But The Politics Are Shifting Despite growing political entanglements, Bitcoin’s core code has not changed.—
Becca Bratcher,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Noun
-
The science transparency rule in the first Trump administration was intended to limit the EPA’s ability to consider epidemiologic studies like those that established the health harms from exposure to secondhand smoke and to PM2.5, fine particles often from pollution.—
H. Christopher Frey,
The Conversation,
5 June 2025
-
It is based on ground-level ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.—
Steve Karnowski,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2025
Noun
-
If wheat is infected during flowering, the fungus colonizes, killing the florets, and kernels don’t develop.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN Money,
4 June 2025
-
The poisonous kernels are responsible for a significant number of suicides and homicides, particularly in rural areas of South Asia.—
Nina Foster,
JSTOR Daily,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nubbin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nubbin. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share