English · Word Candidate

minimal

/ˈmɪn.ɪ.məl/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: minimals

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

The smallest possible amount, quantity, or degree.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

lượng, số lượng hoặc mức độ nhỏ nhất

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

With minimal effort, you won't be able to achieve all your dreams.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

The smallest possible amount, quantity, or degree. — Among elements of some collection, such that no other element is greater (with respect to some given partial order).

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

lượng tối thiểu

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

With respect to the ordering induced by set-theoretic inclusion, the power set of the set of natural numbers has a unique minimal element: the empty set.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Something very small; a tiny part or fragment.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Một thứ rất nhỏ; một phần hoặc mảnh rất nhỏ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

[…] we seek in explaining mental phenomena and behavior always the "minimals," the little fragments of association, on which the mind is (passively) supposed to be based.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “minimal” mean?

The smallest possible amount, quantity, or degree.

Is “minimal” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.