What does negligible mean?
Negligible means so small, slight, or unimportant that it can safely be ignored. The word is especially useful for describing risks, effects, quantities, differences, and other matters that are effectively insignificant in a particular context. For example, a defect may be described as negligible if it has no meaningful impact on performance, while an additional expense may be called negligible if it barely affects a budget. Although negligible often implies precise quantitative reasoning, it can also make a broader judgment that something is too minor to deserve attention. Its tone depends on context: it can be objective and reassuring when discussing technical measurements, but dismissive when used to dismiss another person's concern. The related word negligent has a quite different meaning, describing carelessness rather than smallness. Negligible is therefore best understood as a formal way of saying that something is too small or unimportant to affect the outcome.
adjectiveSo small or unimportant as to be insignificant or effectively zero. It describes quantities, effects, differences, risks, or other matters that are not worth considering.
- So small, unimportant, or slight as to be effectively insignificant.
"The difference between the two measurements was negligible."
"The probability of a serious malfunction was negligible once the software update was installed."
"She dismissed the difference in their backgrounds as negligible and focused on their shared interests."
Negligible began as a warning not to pick something up, but today it describes whatever has become too small to matter.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does negligible come from?
The word comes from Latin neglegere, meaning “to disregard” or “to neglect.” It was formed from the prefix neg-, expressing negation, and legere, a root associated with picking up or gathering. English borrowed the Latin-derived form in the early 17th century, initially using it for matters that were not attended to, before it developed its modern sense of insignificance.
Related word forms
How negligible is actually used
The word is common in formal, technical, and professional contexts. It can sound neutral when describing a measured quantity or effect, but it may sound dismissive when used to dismiss someone's concern, contribution, or point.
Easily confused with negligible
A negligible amount or effect is too small to matter, whereas negligent behaviour shows a failure to exercise proper care.