adjective
minimal
B1
minimal means the smallest possible, negligible or very low in amount or degree; also 'minimal' as adjective. It's gradable (comparative minimaler, superlative am minimalsten) and opposite of 'maximal'. No special preposition or reflexivity. Common in technical, design and everyday contexts. Usage.
Examples
Obwohl das Budget minimal war, begann das Team ein Projekt, das später erfolgreich wurde.
Although the budget was minimal, the team started a project that later became successful.
Der Unterschied ist minimal.
The difference is minimal.
Details
Mnemonics
Picture a tiny dot on a page to represent something minimal.
Think 'mini-mall' — very small, tiny like a minimal shopping area.
Notes
Used both in technical contexts (measurements, tolerances) and in everyday speech to mean 'very small' or 'insignificant'.