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
-
Every splash of rain, speck of dust, or pinprick of light could mar the negative.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
-
On our table are a plate of thin-sliced speck, ham, and cheese, a dish with curls of homemade butter that look like tiny beehives, two pots of homemade strawberry and apricot jam, and a jar of golden honey from the farm bees.—
R29 Team,
Refinery29,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
When shopping, look for ginger root that is firm and smooth.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Used a mulch, leaves keep soil cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, protecting plant roots from extreme temperatures.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
One blink, and it was gone again, just another fleck in the mulch.—
Chris Schalkx,
Vogue,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Yes, these flecks are seeds that were once inside of a vanilla bean, confirms Britton.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Beneath a pink bow laden with rhinestones, colorful floral paper was dotted with rhinestones laid in heart and star shapes.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
-
At the end of 2023, the researchers compared the group with only one infection to the group with a second infection, focusing on Long COVID-like symptoms such as abdominal pain, respiratory distress, changes in taste and smell, fatigue, chest pain, myocarditis, or irregular heart beat.—
Alice Park,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This handsome design can work in just about any room in your home and comes equipped with a little bit of drawer storage to discreetly hide any junk.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
3 Oct. 2025
-
But Maura never overdoes the feisty granny bit.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In all of these places, the broad availability of talent—whether as founders, knowledge workers, or highly skilled blue-collar workers—is viewed as one core element of the corporate ecosystem’s success.—
Peter Vanham,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The new quad-core processor inside is likely doing a lot of heavy lifting there.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The small, icy world is home to water-spouting geysers that spew vapor and ice particles into space – offering a tangible clue to its subsurface saltwater ocean.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Successful or not, the fact that alternatives exist at all suggests virtual particles might be useful fiction rather than physical truth.—
Dipangkar Dutta,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Elote This playful pastry is shaped like an ear of corn, complete with ridges that look like kernels.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
1 Oct. 2025
-
There are kernels of truth in all this.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nubbin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nubbin. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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