minimal
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
The smallest possible amount, quantity.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
minuhmuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈmɪnəməl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
The smallest possible amount, quantity, or degree.
The least possible
art
Characterised by the use of simple form or structures.
noun
Something very small; a tiny part or fragment.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The smallest possible amount, quantity, or degree.
Used this way, minimal is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use minimal
- “Needed to enforce minimal standards.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
To a minimal degree.
Make small or insignificant.
Represent as less significant or important.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Heart surgery in which a coronary bypass is performed on the beating heart by the use of small instruments and cameras threaded through small incisions.
A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders.
A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders.
An art movement in sculpture and painting that began in the 1950s and emphasized extreme simplification of form and color.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.