Inconsiderable

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not worthy of notice or attention; insignificant in size, amount, or importance
2. Of little significance or importance, thus often overlooked
3. having a trivial size, amount, or impact, rendering it unworthy of consideration

Etymology: "Inconsiderable" is built from the prefix "in-" meaning "not" and "considerable," which in turn comes from "considerable" in the sense of "worth consideration." The English adjective was taken from Middle French "inconsidérable," so the structure is a French formation layered onto a word already in English, rather than a pure Latin inheritance. The word's sense is the key to its meaning. "Considerable" once carried the idea of something that deserved to be looked at, weighed, or taken into account, so "inconsiderable" describes a thing too small or minor to merit that attention. The same pattern of "in-" plus a root meaning "consider" also produced "inconsiderate," which shifted toward a sense of thoughtlessness about other people.

Synonyms: insignificant, negligible, trivial, unimportant

Antonyms: significant, important, notable