Negligible

Definition

Negligible is an adjective meaning so small, unimportant, or insignificant as to be not worth considering; trifling. In technical contexts (mathematics, science, economics, law), it describes a quantity or effect that is effectively zero for practical purposes or below a specified threshold.

Parts of Speech

• Adjective

Pronunciation

American English

• IPA: /ˈnɛɡlɪdʒəbəl/
• Respelling: NEG-li-juh-buhl

British English

• IPA: /ˈnɛɡlɪdʒɪb(ə)l/
• Respelling: NEG-li-jih-bəl

Etymology

Early 19th century: from French négligeable “that may be neglected,” from négliger “to neglect,” ultimately from Latin neglegere “to disregard, not heed.” Related to English neglect and negligent.

Derivatives

• negligibility (noun) — the quality or state of being negligible
• negligibly (adverb) — to a negligible degree
• non-negligible (adjective) — not negligible; sufficiently large to matter

Synonyms

• trivial
• insignificant
• minor
• inconsequential
• minimal
• slight
• paltry
• trifling

Antonyms

• significant
• substantial
• considerable
• material
• appreciable
• nontrivial

Usage

Adjective: “The side effects are negligible at this dosage.” / “After rounding, the difference is negligible.” / “Transportation costs were negligible compared to the total budget.”

Related Terms

• De minimis: Latin term used in law and policy for matters too minor to merit consideration.
• Order of magnitude: Scale notion used to judge whether a quantity is negligible relative to another.
• Epsilon (ε): A symbol in mathematics representing an arbitrarily small positive number, often used to formalize “negligibly small.”
• Background noise: In signal processing, a floor below which effects may be treated as negligible.

Detailed Definitions

Adjective

• So small or unimportant as to be not worth considering — of amounts, effects, risks, or differences.
  • Example: “With proper insulation, heat loss through the roof became negligible.”
• (Technical) Effectively zero for practical purposes — in mathematics, physics, engineering, finance, or statistics; often below a specified tolerance or threshold.
  • Example: “Air resistance is negligible at low speeds in this model.”
• (Regulatory/Legal) Below a defined de minimis level — not triggering action or compliance requirements.
  • Example: “Trace contaminants were within negligible limits set by the standard.”