small postponement

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "small postponement" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a brief delay or rescheduling of an event or task. Example: "Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will have to implement a small postponement of the meeting originally scheduled for tomorrow."

✓ Grammatically correct

Global Health Action

Huffington Post

The Guardian

IZA Journal of Labor Economics

The New York Times - Arts

The Economist

Huffington Post

Independent

The New York Times

The New York Times - Arts

The New York Times - Magazine

European Journal of Population

The Economist

Demographic Research

Ethnicity and Health

Wikipedia

TechCrunch

Encyclopedia Britannica

The New York Times - Sports

Independent

The Guardian

The New York Times

The New Yorker

The New Yorker

The Economist

The New York Times

The Economist

The New York Times

The New York Times - Sports

The Guardian

The New York Times

The Economist

The New York Times - Sports

The New York Times

The New York Times

The New York Times - Sports

The New York Times

The New York Times - Arts

The Guardian

The Economist

The New York Times

The New York Times

The Economist

The Guardian

The New York Times

The New York Times

The Economist

The New York Times - Sports

The Guardian

The New York Times

The Economist

The New York Times

The Guardian

The New York Times

The Guardian

The New York Times

The Economist

The New York Times

The New York Times

The Guardian

The Economist

The Guardian

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

For instance, in the US, some research suggests a small postponement in age at incidence from disability [ADL and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL)] between 1992 and 2003 for people aged 65 for severe (people unable to complete at least three ADL's) and moderate (disabled in one or two ADL's) disability, with increasing rates of recovery from disability (3).

Global Health Action

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

"For older women," the researchers write, "small longevity increases have been accompanied by even smaller postponements in disability... as a consequence, older women no longer live more active years than men, despite their longer lives".

Huffington Post

Civil rights groups opposed to any postponement started a small protest on Saturday.

The Guardian

Despite being of small magnitude and mostly entailing only a postponement of births, the negative effect of economic hardship on fertility is an established finding in the literature: Sobotka et al. (2010, 2011) show that, among 27 low-fertility countries in the period 1980 2008, GDP decline is associated with a drop in fertility 81% of the times.

IZA Journal of Labor Economics

Meanwhile there have been signs of belt tightening, beyond the "Sleeping Beauty" postponement, and even at the smallest level.

The New York Times - Arts

Almost 400,000 small and medium-sized enterprises were helped through the postponement of loan payments and other credit-agreement initiatives that freed €20 billion ($27 billion) of additional liquidity.Over the past decade, Italian banks financed the economy abundantly.

The Economist

The effect of this postponement is to confer a benefit on a small group of Councilmembers, some of whom voted in 2008 to extend their eligibility.

Huffington Post

I was not surprised when the Government announced the postponement of the £2bn Lloyds Banking Group share sale aimed at small investors.

Independent

"This postponement is long overdue," she said, adding that forcing small companies to comply in 2008 "would have had a detrimental effect on our economy".

The New York Times

Given the economic downturn, which has forced the cancellation, postponement or prolonging of exhibitions across the country, more small and midsize art institutions may be increasingly open to ready-made shows.

The New York Times - Arts

With luck and vision, Americans would then demand a wonderfully simple and uniform earnings tax that treats all forms of income alike, without gimmicks, deductions, credits or postponements, and permits every state and locality to claim a small percentage of that levy for its own budgets.

The New York Times - Magazine

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "small postponement", ensure the context clearly indicates the event or action being delayed. This avoids ambiguity and clarifies the impact of the postponement.

Common error

Avoid using "small postponement" when the delay has significant consequences. If the delay causes substantial disruption, opt for a more descriptive term such as "significant delay" or "major rescheduling".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "small postponement" functions as a noun phrase, where "small" modifies the noun "postponement". It describes the extent or magnitude of a delay, as seen in the Ludwig example: "some research suggests a <span class="lh">small postponement in age at incidence from disability". Ludwig AI indicates that the phrase is correct and usable.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

48%

Science

29%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

3%

Wiki

2%

Academia

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "small postponement" is a grammatically correct and usable term to describe a minor delay. Ludwig AI confirms its validity. While not a very common phrase, occurring mostly in News & Media and Scientific contexts, it effectively conveys that a delay is minimal and not expected to cause significant disruption. Consider alternatives like "minor delay" or "brief deferral" depending on the specific nuance you wish to express. Use "small postponement" when accuracy and clarity are paramount and avoid it when the delay has considerable impact, opting for terms like "significant delay" instead.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

minor delay

Replaces "postponement" with "delay", a more common synonym; both words have very similar meaning.

brief deferral

Substitutes "small" with "brief" and "postponement" with "deferral", implying a temporary holding off with a slightly more formal tone.

slight rescheduling

Uses "rescheduling" to focus on rearranging the timing, similar to postponement; slight indicates short duration.

limited delay

"Limited" specifies a boundary in time and the phrase is interchangeable with "small postponement".

short delay

Adjective "short" indicates the time that something is put off.

marginal deferment

"Marginal" implies a minimal amount of delay, and "deferment" replaces "postponement" with a more formal equivalent.

modest rescheduling

"Modest" implies a minor change in the schedule, synonymous with a small change or postponement.

slight suspension

Replaces postponement by "suspension" referring to an interruption of something for a certain temporary amount of time.

inconsequential delay

"Inconsequential" emphasizes the unimportance of the delay, adding a layer of impact assessment.

negligible deferral

"Negligible" denotes that the delay is so small as to be almost unnoticeable, similar to a "small postponement".

FAQs

What does "small postponement" mean?

A "small postponement" indicates a brief delay or rescheduling of an event, task, or activity. The adjective "small" signifies that the delay is not extensive or significant.

How can I use "small postponement" in a sentence?

You can use "small postponement" in a sentence such as, "Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will have a "small postponement" of the meeting until next week."

What are some alternatives to "small postponement"?

Some alternatives to "small postponement" include "minor delay", "brief deferral", or "slight rescheduling".

When is it appropriate to use "small postponement" versus "significant delay"?

"Small postponement" is appropriate when the delay is minimal and has little impact. "Significant delay" is more suitable when the delay is substantial and causes noticeable disruption.