smidgen

noun

smid·​gen ˈsmi-jən 

variants or less commonly smidgeon or smidgin or smidge

ˈsmij 

: a small amount : bit

a smidgen of salt

a smidgen of common sense

Synonyms

• ace
• bit
• crumb
• dab
• dram
• driblet
• glimmer
• hint
• lick
• little
• mite
• nip
• ounce
• particle
• peanuts
• ray
• scintilla
• scruple
• shade
• shadow
• shred
• skosh
• smack
• smell
• snap
• soupçon
• spark
• spatter
• speck
• splash
• spot
• sprinkling
• strain
• streak
• suspicion
• tad
• touch
• trace

Examples of smidgen in a Sentence

I'll just have a smidgen of ice cream.

the maid cleaned the house until there wasn't even a smidgen of dust left

Recent Examples on the Web

She’s tweaked the recipe over the years, with the current version having a smidgen more heat. —Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025

That’s just a smidgen more than the 5.03% increase in 2023, according to Chief Deputy Assessor Brad Smith. —Carolyn Komatsoulis, Idaho Statesman, 7 June 2025

In the mouth this is elegant and creamy, layered, well structured, complex with toffee flavors and even a smidgen of Amarone and pine. —Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025

The extra coverage is advantageous for landscapes, architecture, and other scenes that are just a smidgen too vast for a typical all-in-one zoom to capture in frame. —Jim Fisher, PCMAG, 24 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably alteration of English dialect smitch soiling mark

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for smidgen

• pigeon
• irreligion
• religion

Kids Definition

smidgen

noun

smid·​gen

variants also smidgeon or smidgin

ˈsmij-ən

or smidge

ˈsmij 

: a small amount : bit