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Minuscule comes from the Latin adjective minusculus ("somewhat smaller" or "fairly small"), which in turn pairs the base of minus ("smaller") with -culus, a diminutive suffix (that is, one indicating small size). The minuscule spelling is consistent with the word’s etymology, but that didn’t stop English speakers from adopting the variant spelling miniscule, likely because they associated it with the combining form mini- and such words as minimal and minimum. Usage commentators generally consider the miniscule spelling an error, but it is widely used in reputable and carefully edited publications, and is accepted as a legitimate variant in some dictionaries. (Our own dictionary identifies miniscule as a "disputed spelling variant.")
Examples of minuscule in a Sentence
Jonathan I. Shenkman, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
That minuscule percentage made all the difference between the Bulls welcoming a generational talent and scouring the back end of the lottery for good value.
—Darnell Mayberry, New York Times, 13 May 2025
But just as notable a skew was in how the 2025 ACM Awards were dominated by the female of the species… pretty much in inverse proportion to their minuscule representation on the country charts.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 9 May 2025
Over 65% of visual observations have occurred within 200 nautical miles of three countries: the United States, Japan, and New Zealand, meaning that much of our assumptions about the deep sea are based on a minuscule sample size.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for minuscule
Cite this Entry
“Minuscule.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minuscule. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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