1
as in speck
a very small piece
had only a nubbin of crayon left
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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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
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
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
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Flash frames, scratches and specks of dust pop up randomly on the screen.
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Last night, England played its first game of the tournament—a rematch against Croatia, in Dallas—and the defensive prowess was a speck on the horizon; both sides scored twice in a breathless first half.
Noun
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Larger roots mean larger iris blooms and better plant vitality the following year.
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During a scene in the show toward the end, Hargitay's character roots through several boxes around her.
Noun
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But flecks of green were visible throughout the stadium as Algeria fans made their presence known as well.
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There are also flecks of red embedded throughout the pattern.
Noun
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Others develop dangerous fluctuations in blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythms because the autonomic nervous system becomes affected.
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Let heart guide tone, and your message lands.
Noun
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This is done in stages, using multiple centrifuges that enrich the uranium bit by bit.
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What impressed us most was their commitment to the bit.
Noun
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Keep a core of year-round basics, then rotate a few season-specific pieces in and out as the weather turns.
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The home and core ranges reflected strong loyalty between these areas less than 258 miles apart.
Noun
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Then, a few decades ago, the world cleaned up its act and stopped letting so many of those particles into the atmosphere.
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When wildfire smoke is inhaled, volatile gases and tiny particles can pass through the lining of the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
Noun
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The three benchmarks Recursive used involve training a small language model, improving AI training speed, and optimizing a GPU kernel, the tiny mathematical steps that a GPU has to perform to train or run an AI model.
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Grill ears in their husks, then cut the kernels from the cob and add them to salads, salsas, grain bowls, or vegetable dishes.
Cite this Entry
“Nubbin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nubbin. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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