Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A small, moderate, or token amount: "England still expects a modicum of eccentricity in its artists” ( Ian Jack).
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A small or moderate quantity; a scanty or meager allowance; a limited amount or degree.
- n. Any small thing; a diminutive person.
- n. Something eaten to provoke thirst.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A little; a small quantity; a measured supply.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a small or moderate or token amount
Etymologies
- Middle English, from Latin, from neuter of modicus, moderate, from modus, measure; see med- in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“I love the word modicum, thanks for using it in your post.”
“I’m not sure it’s unfair to presume that one comes to that job with a certain modicum of confidence in one’s own judgment.”
“Youth would not understand it were it to speak a modicum of its thoughts.”
“This is not a woman who has displayed any kind of modicum of sensibility or anything.”
“Long-term outcomes showed no significant differences, as long as there was even a "modicum" of such things as loving, setting of rules and teaching.”
“The Omniscient One is certainly possessed of an amount of knowledge equal to that small modicum which is all that a rational and immortal soul can boast of in reference to itself.”
“modicum" of Arab unity before a potentially hawkish new Israeli cabinet, Safa said.”
“However, that highly religious person would likely find consensus with anyone who has a modicum of religious belief.”
“As the century waned, the glamorous old-style safari, which could be defined as “traveling by caravan to rough it near wildlife in Africa, but not without access to a porcelain tea set,” had been replaced by the peppy new-style safari, “nature travel anywhere, so long as it involves unconventional transport and a modicum of hazard offset by pampering.””
“Of course, these accounts often paid paltry interest—and hopefully the new services will do better by consumers—but their value was in giving you a modicum of control over your financial life.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘modicum’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
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Imprecise Units of Measurement
A list of terms for units of measurement that are less than exact, such as dessert-spoonful.
two shakes, dessert-spoonful, a pinch, a bit, some, smidge, smidgin, dollop, drop, fleck, smack, sprinkling and 168 more...
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gre
municipal, whit, dissembler, berate, liberally, embellish, dissimilitude, histrionics, flamboyance, bombastic, bovine, calumny and 142 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 1128 more...
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PART 2: 100 Word You Should Know To Be Able To ...
Here are 40 advanced English words which should you be able to use them in a sentence will impress even educated native speakers! Perfect if you want to impress the examiner in examinations like: I...
jubilant, knell, lithe, lurid, maverick, maxim, meticulous, modicum, morose, myriad, nadir, nominal and 28 more...
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Words build meanings from origins( etymology )
These come from gamma meditation ,I think.
discursive, exogenous, machinations, purportedly, sumptuous, congruity, cantankerous, incongruous, festoon, hessian, ratiocinative, stratigraphic and 837 more...
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Not Much
smidgeon, iota, scintilla, dab, bit, trace, touch, soupçon, crumb, dash, drop, whit and 18 more...
kingparton I have my health, a choice of books, needlework and good weather—with only a modicum of good sense, one should go a long way like that.
Frances Mossiker, Madame de Sévigné Aug 25, 2011