sufficiently little

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "sufficiently little" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a quantity or amount that is small enough to meet a certain requirement or condition. Example: "The project requires sufficiently little funding to be feasible for our budget."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

This ought to drive down wages in the private sector, too, and eventually everyone is making sufficiently little money that it makes sense to start hiring more people.Mr Yglesias isn't advocating this; he's simply suggesting that this is one way adjustment might work.

The Economist

However, by altering the spawning time the temperature during early development may change sufficiently little for adaptation to occur.

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

"It is not sufficiently considered how little there is in most men's ordinary life to give any largeness either to their conceptions or to their sentiments".

SEP

These correlations would not be predicted by the principle of inverse effectiveness; however it is possible that correlations are present because auditory stimuli are sufficiently salient that little enhancement through multisensory integration occurs anyway (Fig. 4).

Plosone

However, the association between DAPK1 and late-onset AD has not been sufficiently explored, as little is known about the downstream targets of DAPK1 in AD, and DAPK1 regulation in AD progression is poorly understood.

Cell Death and Disease

If the swimmer in your life is you, give this list to someone who loves you and/or is cashed up sufficiently to pop a little summat under your tree.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

And when I sat back at the desk, sufficiently windblown, with a little wildness still running in my blood, I started to write a book about love and abandonment, exile and return, all those impossibilities.

The Guardian - Books

With such tibial fractures, stabilisation with intramedullary nailing or with an external fixator is sufficiently stable and carries little risk of soft tissue morbidity or late stage malalignment.

Strategies in Trauma and Limb Reconstruction

He looked crestfallen as I shut the door, but I guess his entrepreneurial spirit wasn't sufficiently diminished because a little while later he was back again, this time with two different girls.

Vice

Social services are not sufficiently developed and very little is done to prevent children from getting into conflict with the law or to reintegrate those who do back into their communities.

Unicef

Other minerals of gold are sufficiently rare as to have little economic significance.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "sufficiently little" when you want to emphasize that a small amount is adequate for a particular purpose or requirement. For example, "The project requires "sufficiently little" funding to be feasible."

Common error

Avoid using "sufficiently little" in situations where a simpler term like "small" or "not much" would suffice. Overusing the phrase can make your writing sound overly formal or pretentious.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "sufficiently little" functions as an adverbial modifier, specifically an intensifier ("sufficiently") modifying an adjective ("little"). It describes a degree to which something is small, indicating that it meets a certain threshold or requirement. Ludwig AI confirms its usability in written English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

33%

News & Media

33%

Formal & Business

33%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "sufficiently little" is a grammatically sound phrase used to describe something that is adequately small for a specific need. Ludwig AI confirms its correct usage and suggests its function as an adverbial modifier. While the phrase isn't particularly common, occurring primarily in science, news media and formal business contexts, it is well-suited to expressing adequacy despite a small quantity. Consider using synonyms like "adequately small" or "small enough" for simpler contexts to avoid sounding overly formal. Be mindful of where its used.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

adequately small

Emphasizes the adequacy of the small size.

small enough

Directly states that something is small to meet a requirement.

barely enough

Highlights the narrow margin of sufficiency.

just enough

Indicates that the quantity is precisely what is needed, with no excess.

scarcely sufficient

Suggests that the amount is only barely adequate.

negligibly small

Emphasizes that the quantity is so small it can be ignored.

minimally adequate

Focuses on the minimum level of adequacy.

hardly any

Implies a very small quantity with a hint of surprise.

a modicum

Implies an extremely small quantity or degree of something.

inadequate amount

Describes amount to be not sufficiently enough.

FAQs

What does "sufficiently little" mean?

The phrase "sufficiently little" means that something is small enough in quantity or degree to meet a specific requirement or purpose.

How can I use "sufficiently little" in a sentence?

You can use "sufficiently little" to describe a resource, effort, or quantity that is adequately small. For example: "The intervention required "minimal effort" and yielded significant results."

Are there alternatives to the phrase "sufficiently little"?

Yes, you can use alternatives such as "adequately small", "small enough", or "just enough", depending on the nuance you want to convey.

Is it correct to say "insufficiently little"?

While grammatically possible, "insufficiently little" is rarely used and can sound awkward. It would imply that something needs to be even smaller than it already is to meet a requirement. It's usually better to rephrase the sentence using alternative words.