negligible

adjective

neg·​li·​gi·​ble ˈne-gli-jə-bəl How to pronounce negligible (audio)
: so small or unimportant or of so little consequence as to warrant little or no attention : trifling
a negligible error
last year sales were negligible
a negligible risk
a negligible effect
negligibility noun
negligibly adverb

Did you know?

Negligible comes from the same Latin verb as neglect, so something negligible is literally "neglectable". If an accident results in negligible damage to your car, you should be thankful. If two years of intense focus on testing in the classroom results in a negligible improvement in student test scores, it's probably time to try something new.

Examples of negligible in a Sentence

A negligible amount of damage was done to the vehicle. The price difference was negligible.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
As such, the economic order treats these security concerns as exceptions to the norm and assumes their impact on overall trade and investment flows will be negligible. Geoffrey Gertz, Foreign Affairs, 6 Feb. 2025 Washington and Idaho are almost completely dependent on Canadian gas since pipeline connections from other areas are negligible, meaning rebalancing supplies would require major new pipeline construction. Michael Lynch, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025 Unlike factories and warehouses, the costs in setting up crypto companies is negligible, said Jeff Hauser, director of the nonprofit Revolving Door Project, which scrutinizes executive branch employees. Michelle Conlin and Tom Wilson, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2025 If the Heat surprisingly accepted Beal, the Heat not only would be about $5 million above next season’s luxury tax threshold (which would trigger a particularly onerous repeater tax), but would have negligible (if any) cap space in the summer of 2026. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for negligible 

Word History

Etymology

Latinization of French négligeable, from négliger "to disregard, neglect" (going back to Middle French negliger, borrowed from Latin neglegere, neclegere "to disregard, do nothing about") + -able -able — more at neglect entry 1

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of negligible was in 1829

Dictionary Entries Near negligible

Cite this Entry

“Negligible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/negligible. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

negligible

adjective
neg·​li·​gi·​ble ˈneg-li-jə-bəl How to pronounce negligible (audio)
: so small or unimportant as to deserve little or no attention
a negligible error
negligibly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on negligible

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