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
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Recent Examples of nubbin
The Carbon has two sets of pointing devices: a smallish touchpad, and ThinkPads' trademark TrackPoint keyboard nubbin with three mouse buttons.
—
PCMAG, 17 Jan. 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, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2022
Atoms flew off the nubbin, forcing it to implode at a speed of nearly 400 kilometers per second—about four times a bolt of lightning.
—Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, 1 Mar. 2023
With its mild flavor, a single nubbin of tteok is an equal opportunist flavor sponge.
—Bon Appétit, 24 May 2022
PCMAG, 17 Jan. 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, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2022
Atoms flew off the nubbin, forcing it to implode at a speed of nearly 400 kilometers per second—about four times a bolt of lightning.
—Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, 1 Mar. 2023
With its mild flavor, a single nubbin of tteok is an equal opportunist flavor sponge.
—Bon Appétit, 24 May 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nubbin
Noun
-
This obviously means piece of peach or speck of fish or smear of hotness — but in French, therefore classy.—
Heather Havrilesky,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2025
-
The moon appears incredibly large in the foreground of the image since it is located much closer to Earth than Saturn, the sixth planet from the sun, which, by comparison, appears as nearly a speck behind the prominent natural satellite.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
15 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
What’s more, a blend of botanical ingredients including licorice root and coffee leaf extract firms and brightens the skin around the eyes.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
22 Mar. 2025
-
Brown, brittle leaves may make your lawn appear dead, but the crown—the grass plant’s growth point for leaves and roots—is alive and quickly sends up new leaves as soon as conditions are ideal.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Normally, landing a star of Dončić’s caliber at such a young age would take every fleck of gold in the safe.—
C. Clark, M. Vorkunov and F. Katz,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
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Tips and Tricks: During this event, the moon will begin to travel in front of the Pleiades stars around 11 P.M. Eastern Time, concealing several of the blueish flecks as the night goes on.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Outside Online,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Increasing your water intake can benefit overall health, including the health of your kidneys, brain, and heart.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
18 Mar. 2025
-
And for me, to be on the cover of Vogue Philippines, for my first Vogue cover, is so special and will forever just hold the most special place in my heart.—
Kleigh Balugo,
StyleCaster,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Because one commissioner is chomping at the bit to raise the current 25-foot building height limit there.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2025
-
That's a lot of money up front for a little bit of oil.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Remember: at its core, innovation is about seeing a problem and solving it with a better process, product, or way of doing business.—
Mark Nevins,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
-
Of course, as any grandmother will tell you, those things are important, too, but the core of hospitality is creating a sense of comfort where visitors (and family) feel truly at ease.—
Nicole Letts,
Southern Living,
23 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
That’s due to high energy particles spiraling in the galactic magnetic field and emitting enormous amounts of radiation, Hibbard says.—
Bruce Dorminey,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
-
Vacuum energy describes the density of particles popping in and out of existence.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The Linux kernel vulnerability prompted America’s cyber defense agency to mandate all federal employees to update their phones by March 25 or stop using them.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes,
18 Mar. 2025
-
Linux Kernel Update Goes Live The code has been implemented as part of the Linux kernel release version 6.13 in January.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
17 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nubbin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nubbin. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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