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
-
The machine-like efficiency is terrifying, right up until a single speck of dirt falls into the gears.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
11 June 2026
-
This looks like tiny black or reddish-brown specks that resemble coffee grounds.—
Emily Hayes,
Martha Stewart,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Larger roots mean larger iris blooms and better plant vitality the following year.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
18 June 2026
-
During a scene in the show toward the end, Hargitay's character roots through several boxes around her.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
But flecks of green were visible throughout the stadium as Algeria fans made their presence known as well.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
17 June 2026
-
There are also flecks of red embedded throughout the pattern.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
After the road trip, Washington, then 73, stepped aside from his managerial duties indefinitely before undergoing quadruple bypass heart surgery.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
The findings, the latest in a growing body of research about the vaccine’s benefits for heart health, suggest such benefits observed in earlier studies have persisted for years.—
Daniel Wu,
Washington Post,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Sunday brings a little bit of everything.—
Damien Lodes,
CBS News,
13 June 2026
-
Drill bit makers who serve the oil and gas industry are replacing tungsten drill bits with steel, which wears more quickly.—
Ari Sen,
Scientific American,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
Keep a core of year-round basics, then rotate a few season-specific pieces in and out as the weather turns.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
19 June 2026
-
The home and core ranges reflected strong loyalty between these areas less than 258 miles apart.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
For more than a decade, MAVEN circled Mars in a highly elliptical orbit, measuring particles escaping into space and observing how the atmosphere responded to solar activity.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
17 June 2026
-
Their fabric, paper, or textured surfaces attract airborne particles that often go unnoticed until they're viewed in bright daylight.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Every kernel of corn, rye, wheat, and barley that goes into a Frey Ranch whiskey is grown on the ranch, the barley malted on-site, milled, mashed, distilled, aged, and bottled within the same property.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
-
Onion Onions may benefit from the same outer-layer removal principle that protects sweet corn kernels.—
Anna Giorgi,
Verywell Health,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nubbin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nubbin. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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