Make Your Point > Archived Issues > NEGLIGIBLE

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

connect today's word to others: In Latin, legere means to choose, to pick up, to pluck, to gather--or, more figuratively--to read. Legere appears in tons of English words, including elect (literally "to choose out"), collect ("gather together"), select ("gather apart"), and intellect ("reading or choosing between"), as well as neglect ("to not pick up") and negligible ("able to be not picked up"). Something negligible can be ignored: it can be set aside, not picked, not read, much like something om___ible can be left out and something inapp____able can go unnoticed.  (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "NEGLIGIBLE" To neglect things or people is to pay them no attention or to fail to take care of them. So, something negligible is so small or so unimportant that it doesn't require anyone's care or attention. Pronunciation: NEG ludge uh bull Part of speech: Adjective: "a negligible effect," "the risk is negligible." Other forms: Negligibly, negligibility. A less common adjective is "neglectable," but I recommend sticking with "negligible." How to use it: Use this common, formal word to talk about negligible changes and differences, negligible impacts and effects, negligible gains and losses, negligible risks and costs, and negligible levels, amounts, numbers, and totals. examples: He has an excellent sense of humor about his short stature and thin limbs, describing his own mass as negligible. "The new animated Lego movie is pretty much like the last one. Or maybe I’m thinking of another one, not that it much matters. There are differences between editions, most fairly negligible. The unifying factor ... is that they are all feature-length commercials."    — Manohla Dargis, The New York Times, 6 February 2019 study it: Explain the meaning of "negligible" without saying "trivial" or "insignificant." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "I'd thought the (taste, smell, or effect) of _____ would be negligible, but instead it (had a strong effect of some sort)." Example: "I'd thought the smell [of the stinkbomb] would be negligible—maybe like an old sock—but instead it cleared not just the room where the boys were playing Mario Kart but an entire side of the house." — David Sedaris, The New Yorker, 7 January 2019 before you review, play: Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first. Quintessential TV Quotes! Each day, match the given vocabulary word to the quote that best illustrates it. From the previous issue: From Big Bang Theory, which quote below best demonstrates someone being persnickety? Quote A: Bernadette: I told you you shouldn't have espresso after dinner. I know the little cups make you feel big, but it's not worth it. Quote B: Howard: I invented a game. Want to play? Leonard: Sure. Howard: It's called Emily or Cinnamon. I give you actual quotes I've heard Raj say, and you guess if he was talking to his girlfriend or his dog. Quote C: Sheldon: I'd like to go over some proposed changes to the roommate agreement, specifically to address Penny's annoying personal habits. Penny: Oh my God! What personal habits? Sheldon: I have a list. FYI, overuse of the phrase "Oh my God" is number 12. Answer: In quote C, Sheldon reveals himself as a persnickety roommate. Try this one today: From Sports Night, which quote below best demonstrates someone being caustic? Quote A: Bill: This is a third place show on a fourth rate network. Dan: Yeah, but that's all gonna change once I grow a goatee. Quote B: Elliot: How's the writer's block? Dan: You're gonna need to get someone to fix my computer. Kim: What's wrong with it? Dan: It's in several pieces on my floor. Quote C: Dan: I was gonna hop a ride on the Staten Island Ferry for awhile, eat a hotdog. You wanna come? Casey: Yeah, absolutely, and I'll tell you why. 'Cause it's seventeen degrees outside with the wind chill so what I want to do is stand on a boat in the middle of New York harbor at half-past midnight. review today's word: 1. One opposite of NEGLIGIBLE is A. TRUE. B. MAJOR. C. PROGRESSIVE. 2. In the calorie count for the meal, the _____ are negligible. A. salt and pepper B. meat and potatoes C. sauces and beverages Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. A