negligible progress

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "negligible progress" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to describe a very small or insignificant amount of progress made in a particular situation or endeavor. Example: Despite months of hard work, the project only showed negligible progress, with only minor improvements being made.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

But critics among the exile community in Florida and democracy activists on the island are frustrated at what they see as negligible progress on reform.

The Guardian

Claims by some donor groups and international lenders notwithstanding, African countries have made negligible progress liberalising their economies in recent years.

The Economist

The release dramatized the negligible progress in any investigation into the attack, which killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans on Sept. 11 last year.

The New York Times

The government has been stung by criticism over areas of the promised legacy, most obviously in sports participation where a target introduced by Labour to use the Games to inspire one million more people to play more sport had to be dropped amid negligible progress, and will today publish a new 80-page document called Beyond 2012 as part of an attempt to redress the balance.

The Guardian - Sport

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

52 human-written examples

But in the developing world, where pressure from activists and consumers often has only negligible impact, progress has been much slower.Since western logging firms already operate under relatively strict government scrutiny, the costs of complying with the certifiers' standards are usually not especially onerous.

The Economist

Artificial Intelligence has been a dream of computer scientists from Alan Turing onwards, and after many decades of negligible to slow progress, 2015 became a watershed year for AI.

The Guardian

The route followed Valentine Pond Road north for a negligible distance, then progressed westward along the eastern bank of the Schroon River on East Schroon River Road.

Wikipedia

To substantiate this notion, we carried out annexin V/PI binding assay; we have found that FeNG increases the percentage of annexin V positive population in time dependent manner whereas the percentage of both annexin V and PI positive population remains negligible as time progressed.

Plosone

Technical progress was negligible in maintenance, but rapid in new production: constant-price-weighted physical measures fail to capture productivity growth, and even late-weighted series overstate the growth of the industry's real product.

Explorations in Economic History

Under the conditions simulated by a transient flame code, the reaction front begins as a deflagration, propagating into an end-gas with an initially negligible level of reaction progress.

Combustion and Flame

Forcing candidates to relinquish their offices when pursuing another job is an idea going nowhere fast; it's progress as negligible as that of someone trying to cross the George Washington Bridge during a "traffic study".

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "negligible progress", provide context to explain why the progress is considered insignificant. For example, "Despite significant investment, the project has shown only "negligible progress" in the last quarter."

Common error

Avoid using "negligible progress" when there is clear evidence of substantial improvement. Using it incorrectly can undermine your credibility and mislead your audience.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "negligible progress" functions as a noun phrase where the adjective "negligible" modifies the noun "progress". It describes the extent of advancement or development, indicating that it is very small or insignificant. Ludwig confirms its correct usage.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

30%

Encyclopedias

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

10%

Wiki

5%

Reference

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "negligible progress" accurately conveys the idea of very little or no advancement. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and usability across various contexts. While the phrase itself is neutral in tone, its usage often suggests disappointment or criticism regarding the lack of significant development. Alternatives include "marginal improvement" and "minimal advancement". As demonstrated by examples from Ludwig, it commonly appears in news, scientific, and business contexts. Use this phrase when you need to emphasize the lack of meaningful progress and provide appropriate context for clarity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

marginal improvement

Changes "progress" to "improvement" and "negligible" to "marginal", implying a slight positive change.

minimal advancement

Replaces "progress" with "advancement" and "negligible" with "minimal", suggesting a very small step forward.

slight development

Substitutes "progress" with "development" and "negligible" with "slight", indicating a small degree of growth.

limited success

Shifts focus from progress to the outcome, using "success" with the qualifier "limited".

scant headway

Replaces "progress" with "headway" and "negligible" with "scant", suggesting very little forward movement.

meager gain

Emphasizes the outcome as a "gain" that is "meager", highlighting the small benefit achieved.

inconsequential forward movement

Rephrases "progress" as "forward movement" and "negligible" as "inconsequential", emphasizing lack of significance.

trivial advancement

Uses "advancement" instead of "progress" and describes it as "trivial", underlining its unimportance.

imperceptible development

Replaces "progress" with "development" and "negligible" with "imperceptible", highlighting that the change is nearly impossible to notice.

no discernible progress

Indicates that progress is absent to the point of being unnoticeable, using "discernible".

FAQs

How can I use "negligible progress" in a sentence?

"Negligible progress" is used to describe situations where advancement is very small or insignificant. For instance, "Despite the team's efforts, there was "negligible progress" in reducing the error rate."

What are some alternatives to "negligible progress"?

You can use phrases such as "marginal improvement", "minimal advancement", or "slight development" as alternatives to "negligible progress" depending on the context.

Is "negligible progress" a formal or informal expression?

"Negligible progress" is suitable for both formal and informal contexts. Its appropriateness depends more on the surrounding vocabulary and tone than the phrase itself.

What's the difference between "negligible progress" and "significant progress"?

"Negligible progress" indicates that very little or no advancement has been made, whereas "significant progress" implies that substantial and noteworthy advancement has occurred.