as in damn
the smallest amount or part imaginable
only a modicum of skill is necessary to put the kit together
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Recent Examples of modicum
Therefore, Iran largely favors the status quo, which at least provides a modicum of stability that allows Tehran to focus on other priorities deemed more urgent, especially as the country grapples with another strong wave of novel coronavirus infections and record-high daily death tolls.
—
Colin P. Clarke, Foreign Affairs, 8 July 2020
For half a century, the primary target in the agency’s hunt for life on other worlds was Mars, a rocky desert with a modicum of water.
—science.org, 19 Sep. 2024
Until the war in Ukraine began, the region even had a modicum of integration into European life: Kaliningrad did a brisk trade with Lithuania and Poland, and its residents could enter Polish territory by using a special card.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2022
Probably best to wait until a modicum of life is under someone’s belt to do a bona fide life review.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for modicum 
Colin P. Clarke, Foreign Affairs, 8 July 2020
For half a century, the primary target in the agency’s hunt for life on other worlds was Mars, a rocky desert with a modicum of water.
—science.org, 19 Sep. 2024
Until the war in Ukraine began, the region even had a modicum of integration into European life: Kaliningrad did a brisk trade with Lithuania and Poland, and its residents could enter Polish territory by using a special card.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2022
Probably best to wait until a modicum of life is under someone’s belt to do a bona fide life review.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for modicum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modicum
Noun
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Shortly thereafter, Facebook changed its name to Meta and sank $45 billion into its vision of a digital universe that most people just don’t seem to give much of a damn about.Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 25 Sep. 2024
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But the rate at which people are ditching cable suggests that carriage fees won’t be worth a tinker’s damn by the time the looming batch of NBA deals expires.Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 5 July 2024
Noun
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The last-minute Annie Oakley act does not alter that one whit.The Editors, National Review, 30 Sep. 2024
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The same wellness warriors who fret about microplastics seem not to care one whit about the breakdown of medical aesthetics.Mattie Kahn, Vogue, 23 July 2024
Noun
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By Charlie Campbell / Dhaka, Bangladesh November 21, 2024 12:00 AM EST Dhaka looks reborn after a fresh lick of paint.Charlie Campbell, TIME, 21 Nov. 2024
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He can be heard playing piano on the recordings of numerous scores featuring studio orchestras, including the famous driving piano lick in the Peter Gunn theme.EW.com, EW.com, 2 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Hundreds of people have been reported missing, perhaps unable to leave their location or unable to contact family where communications infrastructure is in shreds.Alexandra Banner, CNN, 1 Oct. 2024
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The story picks up in a military bunker in the Everglades, where the last shreds of humanity have gathered in search of safety.Katie Rife, EW.com, 29 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Oldman seems to be having a hoot in the role, too, which has landed him one of the show’s aforementioned Emmy nominations.Brian Grubb, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2024
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Margaret Qualley, as the former A-lister's younger self, also goes for broke in a film that's a disturbing, hilarious and jaw-dropping hoot.Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Considered one of the scariest haunted houses in Cincinnati, the littles can visit with the lights on and friendly ghouls hand out candy.Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 13 Oct. 2024
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And yet the government has done precious little to keep it from happening again.Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 13 July 2017
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Cite this Entry
“Modicum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modicum. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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