What does millionth mean?
Millionth is the ordinal number for the position one million places into a sequence. It is commonly used in expressions such as “for the millionth time,” where it emphasizes repetition, persistence, or the achievement of an enormous number of occasions or customers. As a noun, “a millionth” denotes one part in a million, a fraction equal to 0.000001. This use is especially common in scientific, statistical, and technical contexts where exceptionally small measurements or proportions are being described. Although millionth sounds similar to million, the two words have different grammatical functions: million states a number, while millionth identifies a position or fraction. The word is also sometimes used figuratively to exaggerate how often an action has occurred, though such expressions generally retain an informal or conversational tone.
Denoting the position or ordinal number of one million in a sequence.
"She welcomed the millionth visitor to the exhibition."
Often used figuratively to emphasize repetition or a very large number of occurrences.
A quantity equal to one part in a million.
"The instrument detected a temperature change of less than a millionth of a degree."
This sense is most common in scientific, statistical, and technical writing.
The plural is grammatically possible but uncommon because the word is normally used as an ordinal or with a unit such as “a millionth of a degree.”
"Each measurement differed from the first by only a few millionths."
A millionth is tiny—each one represents just 0.000001 of a whole—but a millionth of something multiplied by a million makes the original amount again.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does millionth come from?
Millionth was formed by adding the ordinal suffix “-th” to the numeral “million.” The word million itself entered Middle English from Old French million, which ultimately came from Latin milio, a form associated with the Roman numeral for one thousand repeated many times. The modern English combining form “milli-” also derives from Latin mille, meaning “thousand,” and appears in related words such as millionaire and millionfold.
How millionth is actually used
The adjective is common in expressions such as “the millionth time” and “the millionth visitor.” The noun is less frequent but is used when referring to a fraction, often in technical or scientific contexts.
Easily confused with millionth
A million is the cardinal number equal to 1,000,000, whereas a millionth denotes the millionth position or one millionth of a whole.