minuscule fraction of

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "minuscule fraction of" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe an extremely small portion of something. For example: "Of all the water in the world, humans have access to only a minuscule fraction of it."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Natural proteins represent a minuscule fraction of possible sequence space.

Princeton University

Politically motivated violence remains a minuscule fraction of all violence.

The Washington Post

Studies have shown only a minuscule fraction of voter fraud cases in recent years.

The Guardian

If they exist, they can only account for a minuscule fraction of workless people.

The Guardian - Opinion

But back then, only a minuscule fraction of the world's population lived in cities.

The Guardian

That is "a minuscule fraction of the work force," she said.

The New York Times

If they exist, they account for a minuscule fraction of workless people.

The Guardian

But those countries account for a minuscule fraction of emerging stock and bond markets.

The New York Times

Only a minuscule fraction of Polonium 215 takes the beta-decay route, to become astatine.

The New York Times - Magazine

As only a minuscule fraction of these have been experimentally characterized, computational methods are widely used for automated annotation.

University of California, Berkeley

Visitors to Kiwayu represent a minuscule fraction of the total – "not even a percent", according to Sloan.

The Guardian - Travel

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

To enhance clarity, follow "minuscule fraction of" with specific numbers or percentages, providing quantifiable context to illustrate just how small the portion is.

Common error

Avoid using "minuscule fraction of" when the actual portion, though small, is still significant in its own right. Ensure the diminutive description is truly justified to prevent misleading impressions.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "minuscule fraction of" functions as a determiner phrase that modifies a noun, indicating a very small quantity or proportion. As confirmed by Ludwig, it’s grammatically correct. The examples in Ludwig show it describing everything from the population to energy consumption.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Academia

15%

Formal & Business

5%

Less common in

Science

3%

Encyclopedias

1%

Wiki

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "minuscule fraction of" is a grammatically sound and widely used expression to denote a very small or insignificant portion of something larger. As affirmed by Ludwig, it's correct and appears frequently in news, academic, and business contexts. While alternatives like "tiny portion of" or "small percentage of" exist, "minuscule fraction of" specifically emphasizes the extreme disparity in size. Therefore, using it appropriately enhances clarity and impact when describing proportions.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

tiny portion of

Replaces "minuscule fraction" with "tiny portion", emphasizing the small size of the part.

small percentage of

Replaces "fraction" with "percentage", making the small quantity more explicit in terms of proportion.

negligible amount of

Shifts focus to the insignificance of the quantity rather than just its size.

infinitesimal part of

Uses "infinitesimal" to highlight the extremely small, almost immeasurable nature of the fraction.

minute quantity of

Substitutes "minuscule fraction" with "minute quantity", emphasizing the very small amount.

drop in the bucket of

Uses an idiomatic expression to convey the idea that the fraction is insignificant compared to the whole.

scarcely any of

Emphasizes the lack of quantity rather than the proportional aspect.

a trace of

Indicates that only a very small amount or sign of something exists.

a shadow of

Implies the small remaining aspect of something that once was bigger, with an emphasis on its diminished presence.

a sliver of

Conveys that the quantity is very thin and small, like a cut off from a larger entity.

FAQs

How can I use "minuscule fraction of" in a sentence?

The phrase "minuscule fraction of" is used to describe something that constitutes a very small or insignificant portion of a larger whole. For example, "Only a "minuscule fraction of" the population owns such wealth."

What are some alternatives to "minuscule fraction of"?

You can use alternatives like "tiny portion of", "small percentage of", or "negligible amount of" to convey a similar meaning.

Is it correct to say "a minuscule fraction of" or should I omit the "a"?

The inclusion of "a" before "minuscule fraction of" is grammatically correct and generally preferred, especially when referring to an unspecified amount. Omitting "a" might be acceptable in certain contexts, but using it usually provides better clarity.

What does "minuscule fraction of" imply about the rest of the whole?

Using "minuscule fraction of" implies that the remaining portion of the whole is substantially larger and more significant than the part being described. It emphasizes the disparity in size or importance between the two.