MEANING
1. So extremely small in size, amount, or degree that it seems almost impossible to measure.
2. A mathematical quantity treated as indefinitely small, or a value approaching zero while remaining above it.
Use it for
contrasting a human life with an immense timescale; describing a barely detectable difference; portraying a tiny presence against vast surroundings; distinguishing near-zero importance from complete absenceExpresses near-vanishing smallness against an overwhelming scale without confusing smallness with literal nonexistence. Writing functions: Cosmic Horror fallback.
Words that belong together
- an infinitesimal fraction
- an infinitesimal difference
- an infinitesimal amount
On the page
Against the age of the stone, the village’s history occupied an infinitesimal interval.
The ship’s signal made an infinitesimal mark on the silent display.
The lecture distinguished an infinitesimal from an ordinary small decimal.
The historical note explained how mathematicians used infinitesimal quantities to study change.
Word forms
- Base
- infinitesimal
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Usage notes
Adjective: an infinitesimal amount; infinitesimal differences. Usually intensified by seemingly or almost rather than an invented comparative. Mathematical countable noun: infinitesimal, infinitesimals. Register: formal. Commonness: moderately common in formal writing; mathematical noun specialized (dictionary-informed qualitative editorial estimate; not a measured frequency).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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