1
as in speck
a very small piece
had only a nubbin of crayon left
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in root
the central part or aspect of something under consideration
this nubbin of the intelligence report is the prediction that the country's government will soon fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nubbin
Secchi’s ragù is the opposite of bouncy meat nubbins bobbing in tomato sauce.
—
Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Apr. 2025
Double-tapping the nubbin now pops up a menu with volume and microphone controls and voice typing.
—PCMAG, 17 Jan. 2025
The Carbon has two sets of pointing devices: a smallish touchpad, and ThinkPads' trademark TrackPoint keyboard nubbin with three mouse buttons.
—PCMAG, 17 Jan. 2025
Double-tapping the nubbin now pops up a menu with volume and microphone controls and voice typing.
—PCMAG, 17 Jan. 2025
Ground nubbins of paprika, cumin, sage and black pepper that have moldered into flavorless, colored molecules.
—Scott Hocker, theweek, 23 Dec. 2024
Heffernan, a gravely captivating newcomer, wraps each expression and gesture around a hard little nubbin of distrust.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
Being a bit of a handy man in a fight himself, Father Ryan taught Frankie how to roll with a punch, how to upset a right swing with a left stab to his shoulder, and how to swing in with a right cross to the nubbin of the chin while his man was off keel.
—Westbrook Pegler, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2024
That changed at 1:03 a.m. on Dec. 5 when 192 giant lasers at the laboratory’s National Ignition Facility blasted a small cylinder about the size of a pencil eraser that contained a frozen nubbin of hydrogen encased in diamond.
—Kenneth Chang, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Dec. 2022
Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Apr. 2025
Double-tapping the nubbin now pops up a menu with volume and microphone controls and voice typing.
—PCMAG, 17 Jan. 2025
The Carbon has two sets of pointing devices: a smallish touchpad, and ThinkPads' trademark TrackPoint keyboard nubbin with three mouse buttons.
—PCMAG, 17 Jan. 2025
Double-tapping the nubbin now pops up a menu with volume and microphone controls and voice typing.
—PCMAG, 17 Jan. 2025
Ground nubbins of paprika, cumin, sage and black pepper that have moldered into flavorless, colored molecules.
—Scott Hocker, theweek, 23 Dec. 2024
Heffernan, a gravely captivating newcomer, wraps each expression and gesture around a hard little nubbin of distrust.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
Being a bit of a handy man in a fight himself, Father Ryan taught Frankie how to roll with a punch, how to upset a right swing with a left stab to his shoulder, and how to swing in with a right cross to the nubbin of the chin while his man was off keel.
—Westbrook Pegler, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2024
That changed at 1:03 a.m. on Dec. 5 when 192 giant lasers at the laboratory’s National Ignition Facility blasted a small cylinder about the size of a pencil eraser that contained a frozen nubbin of hydrogen encased in diamond.
—Kenneth Chang, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Dec. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nubbin
Noun
-
The whole process is more NASA than NASCAR in that there’s not a speck of grease or oil on the bright, white vinyl flooring and everybody’s hands are clean.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2025
-
Or a percentage of a fraction of a risk — better lock him up, than risk a speck of backlash.—
David Katz,
IndieWire,
15 May 2025
Noun
-
According to engineers and robotics experts, the root cause of the malfunction was a combination of software and design oversight.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2025
-
One of the common root causes is that many of us instinctively fill every available surface, from drawers to shelves, and cabinets to closets.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 June 2025
Noun
-
Santo My Palo can best be described as an otherworldly nude shade with multicolored glittery flecks suspended in the gel that reflect light for a mega-watt sparkle.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
27 May 2025
-
The formula—which sparkles in the bottle with rose-gold flecks of glitter—is made more indulgent yet with its gourman, coconut-milk scent.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
These young people offer me their time and their hearts on some level.—
Brande Victorian,
HollywoodReporter,
29 May 2025
-
Pregnant women are at high risk for severe disease and studies show that the likelihood of miscarriage, stillbirth and pregnancy complications like preeclampsia, blood clots, heart and kidney damage and hypertension are much higher among women who develop COVID-19 during pregnancy.—
Karen Weintraub,
USA Today,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
From its cute-fake soundstage-town setting to the authoritative yet chummy voice-over narration (courtesy of Nick Offerman), The Life of Chuck works doggedly to give you the warm fuzzies—and a little bit of that fuzz goes a long way.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
6 June 2025
-
Not only is sitting on the potty all by yourself a little bit scary, but nobody likes putting play to a stop to use the potty, either.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
Bitcoin’s Code Remains Decentralized, But The Politics Are Shifting Despite growing political entanglements, Bitcoin’s core code has not changed.—
Becca Bratcher,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
-
Sub tropical storms have generally cold cores, and are often associated with upper level low pressure areas, with the highest winds farther away from the center, unlike a tropical storm where the most intense winds are found at the center.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
4 June 2025
Noun
-
The science transparency rule in the first Trump administration was intended to limit the EPA’s ability to consider epidemiologic studies like those that established the health harms from exposure to secondhand smoke and to PM2.5, fine particles often from pollution.—
H. Christopher Frey,
The Conversation,
5 June 2025
-
It is based on ground-level ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.—
Patrick Whittle,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2025
Noun
-
If wheat is infected during flowering, the fungus colonizes, killing the florets, and kernels don’t develop.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN Money,
4 June 2025
-
The poisonous kernels are responsible for a significant number of suicides and homicides, particularly in rural areas of South Asia.—
Nina Foster,
JSTOR Daily,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nubbin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nubbin. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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