negligible
part of speech
adjective
meaning for a pupil
1) So small or unimportant that it is not worth thinking about: a negligible amount. tree →
2) (maths, science) Small enough to be ignored in a calculation. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science and maths, «negligible» lets us ignore something tiny, such as air resistance on a small ball or a very small cost. In everyday life: «the difference is negligible». Formal word, common in exams. Phrases: negligible amount, negligible effect, negligible risk.
examples
- The extra cost was negligible. tree →
- Air resistance is negligible for this experiment. tree →
- The difference between the two answers is negligible. tree →
- The risk of a shark attack at that beach is negligible. tree →
- The damage to the car was negligible. tree →
- The weight of the paper clip is negligible compared with the box. tree →
- The new rule had a negligible effect on lateness. tree →
note
Formal; casual talk: «tiny», «hardly any». In maths problems, a negligible quantity is treated as zero. Spelling: -ible, not -able. Do not confuse with «negligent» (careless).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «negligible» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.