vanishingly
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vanishingly small
Extremely small, slight, or insignificant; so little that it is hardly perceptible or relevant. It is almost always used in the combination 'verschwindend gering' (vanishingly small/negligible) or 'verschwindend klein' (vanishingly small).
Die Wahrscheinlichkeit eines solchen Zufalls ist verschwindend gering.
The probability of such a coincidence is vanishingly small.
'Verschwindend' is the present participle of the verb 'verschwinden' (to disappear). The logic behind it is that an amount or size is so small that, figuratively speaking, it almost disappears.
Der Anteil der fehlerhaften Produkte ist verschwindend.
The proportion of defective products is vanishingly small.
This word is used almost exclusively as an adverb to intensify adjectives like 'gering' (small/slight) or 'klein' (small). The fixed collocations are 'verschwindend gering' (vanishingly small/negligible) and 'verschwindend klein' (vanishingly small).
Sein Beitrag zum Projekt war verschwindend klein.
His contribution to the project was vanishingly small.
The expression 'verschwindend gering/klein' (vanishingly small) belongs to a rather formal, factual, or scientific style. It expresses in an objective way that something is extremely insignificant.
Die statistische Relevanz dieser Daten ist verschwindend gering.
The statistical relevance of this data is vanishingly small.
low / slight
Gering independently describes a low extent or proportion. Verschwindend, by contrast, reinforces the idea that something is extremely small and barely perceptible, and is usually used in verschwindend gering or verschwindend klein. Choose gering for a normal statement about size and verschwindend for strong emphasis.
Der Anteil der verspäteten Lieferungen ist verschwindend gering.
The proportion of delayed deliveries is vanishingly small.
Der Anteil der verspäteten Lieferungen ist gering.
The proportion of delayed deliveries is low.
