A couple of flights were delayed on account of a minor accident.
Source: tatoeba (40064)
Minor
/ˈmaɪ.nəɹ/
Synonyms for "minor" (329 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (66)
academic specialtyadolescentareaaveragebabyback burnerback-burnerboybuddingcallowcasualchildclassical educationcommoncore curriculumcoursecourse of studycurriculumdemeaningdependent
Show 27 more words
Adjective(9 words)
Strong matches (99)
Adjective(1 words)
insignificant and thesaurus:small
Adjective(29 words)
insignificant aspectinsignificant conceptinsignificant devianceinsignificant factorinsignificant lawinsignificant momentinsubstantialirrelevant detailirrelevant fieldirrelevant issueirrelevant materialirrelevant remarkirrelevant subjectirrelevant taskjuvenile treeleastleast animalleast valuelittle earthlinglittler
Noun(22 words)
Adverb(3 words)
less mature peopleless mature personsmost significant changes
Verb(1 words)
Related words (164)
nonessentialnot vitalobscureone-horseordinarypaltrypedal pointperipheralpetitpettypicayunepiddlingpottyproseminarpubescentpunyquadriviumrawrefresher courseripening
Show 79 more words
saplingsappyschoolboyschoolgirlscientific educationsecond ranksecond stringsecond-ratesecondaryseminarservileshoestringsideslightslipsmallsmall-beersmall-frysmall-timesmallerspecialtysprigstriplingstudysubsubalternsubdisciplinesubdominantsubjectsubmediantsubordinatesubservientsubsidiarysubtonicsupertonictechnicaltechnical educationteenagerteenerteenyboppertenderthird rankthird stringtonalitytonictonic keytributarytriflingtrivialtriviumtwo-bitunadultunderageunderprivilegedundevelopedundistinguishedunessentialunfledgedunformedunimportantunimpressiveunlickedunmellowedunnoteworthyunnoticeableunripeunseasonedvernalvirginalvulgarwardyoungyoung hopefulyoung personyoungeryoungestyounglingyoungsteryouth
Noun(28 words)
Verb(1 words)
Adjective(34 words)
perceived unimportanceperipheral townpettierpettiestpocket-sizepocket-sizedpublic insignificancesecond rank statussimple choreslight amountslight influenceslighterslightestsmallsmall alterationsmall countrysmall detailsmall differencesmall favorsmall push
Show 14 more words
small-scalesmaller numbersmaller partytiniertiny humantrivial pointtrivial questionunderageunimportant claimunimportant personunsubstantialvenialweak degreeyoung human being
Determiner(1 words)
the trivial point
Preposition(1 words)
to a lesser extent
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: child, youngster, academic specialty, adolescent, area.
- Sentence evidence is available for minor, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "minor".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "minor"
Keep "minor" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "minor" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "minor", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "minor" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
12 entriesMore specific
9 entriesadolescentharmonic minormelodic minorminor issuenatural minorpreteensmall scaletiny sizetrivial matter
Collocations
12 entriesguardianship for minorsminor changeminor childminor detailminor errorminor pointminor problemminor rightsminor setbackminor statusminorsunderage minor
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
2 entriesAntonyms
1 entriessimilar
6 entriesTranslations
55 translations across 23 languages.
Afrikaans
2 entries- byvak noun (subject of secondary undergraduate study)
- keusevak noun (subject of secondary undergraduate study)
Bulgarian
2 entries- второстепенен adj (lesser in importance)
- маловажен adj (lesser in importance)
Chinese Mandarin
3 entries- 副修 noun (subject of secondary undergraduate study)
- 輔修 /辅修 noun (subject of secondary undergraduate study)
- 輔系 /辅系 noun (subject of secondary undergraduate study)
Czech
1 entries- vedlejší adj (lesser in importance)
Danish
2 entries- ubetydelig adj (lesser in importance)
- bifag noun (subject of secondary undergraduate study)
Dutch
4 entries- gering adj (lesser in importance)
- licht adj (lesser in importance)
- minderjarig adj (lesser in importance)
- onbelangrijk adj (lesser in importance)
Esperanto
1 entries- negrava adj (lesser in importance)
Finnish
4 entries- vähäinen adj (lesser in importance)
- vähämerkityksinen adj (lesser in importance)
- sivuaine noun (subject of secondary undergraduate study)
- sivuaineopiskelija noun (subject of secondary undergraduate study)
French
1 entries- mineur adj (lesser in importance)
Friulian
1 entries- minôr adj (lesser in importance)
German
4 entries- gering adj (lesser in importance)
- geringfügig adj (lesser in importance)
- klein adj (lesser in importance)
- nachgeordnet adj (lesser in importance)
Greek
3 entries- ήσσων adj (lesser in importance)
- ασήμαντος adj (lesser in importance)
- ελάσσων adj (lesser in importance)
Hungarian
4 entries- csekély adj (lesser in importance)
- jelentéktelen adj (lesser in importance)
- lényegtelen adj (lesser in importance)
- mellékes adj (lesser in importance)
Italian
1 entries- minore adj (lesser in importance)
Polish
3 entries- drugorzędny adj (lesser in importance)
- poboczny adj (lesser in importance)
- pomniejszy adj (lesser in importance)
Portuguese
1 entries- menor adj (lesser in importance)
Russian
3 entries- второстепе́нный adj (lesser in importance)
- незначи́тельный adj (lesser in importance)
- непро́фильный предме́т noun (subject of secondary undergraduate study)
Scots
1 entries- smaa adj (lesser in importance)
Spanish
1 entries- menor adj (lesser in importance)
Swedish
1 entries- smärre adj (lesser in importance)
Tagalog
1 entries- kalit-an noun (subject of secondary undergraduate study)
Turkish
3 entries- ikincil adj (lesser in importance)
- tâlî adj (lesser in importance)
- yardımcı noun (subject of secondary undergraduate study)
Ukrainian
3 entries- другоря́дний adj (lesser in importance)
- дрібни́й adj (lesser in importance)
- незначни́й adj (lesser in importance)
Sample sentences
58 total sentences available.
There's no sense acting all triumphant like a conquering hero over such a minor thing.
Source: tatoeba (41374)
The differences were minor, so I ignored them.
Source: tatoeba (41979)
The experiment failed because of some minor faults.
Source: tatoeba (46900)
Showing 4 of 58 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "minor"?
Closest matches include child, youngster, academic specialty, adolescent, area.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "minor"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.