scintilla
a tiny trace or spark of a quality or feeling
Word origin: From Latin scintilla, a spark.
Scintilla in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing scintilla in a sentence.
There was not a scintilla of evidence linking her to the alleged conspiracy.
The defense argued that the prosecution had not produced even a scintilla of physical evidence.
Using “scintilla” well
Scintilla means a tiny trace or spark of something, and it almost always appears in negative constructions such as not a scintilla. It emphasizes the barest conceivable amount.
More GRE words starting with S
to deliberately damage or obstruct something, especially in secret
an intensely sweet, calorie-free artificial sweetener
excessively sweet or sentimental in a cloying way
regarded as too important or sacred to be altered or criticized
having keen practical judgment and discernment
soundness of judgment and acuteness of discernment
most noticeable or important; standing out prominently
of a sickly yellowish or pale complexion
Questions about “scintilla”
See these words the way the GRE tests them.
Definitions in isolation do not stick. Sit a free, full-length GRE mock and meet this vocabulary inside real text completion and sentence equivalence questions, with your score and a worked solution for every answer.