drop in the bucket
Hardly worth mentioning
A drop in the bucket is an amount so small relative to what's needed that it barely matters.
The phrase emphasizes inadequacy—a single drop does nothing to fill a bucket: The donation was generous, but compared to the hospital's debt, it's a drop in the bucket.
Sometimes drop in the ocean.
- pittanceInsultingly small payment
- negligibleToo small to consider
- unimportantLacking significance or weight
- trifleInsignificant matter or thing
- chump changeInsignificant amount of money
pocket change · small change · futility · inconsequential · small fry · bit · speck · grain · inadequacy · peanuts · disparity · spit in the ocean · tip of the iceberg · paltry · small potatoes · next to nothing · minimal · sliver
- idiomstime flies, hit the sack, seize the day, ring a bell, break a leg
- Insignificant thingstrivial, minor, small, tiny, negligible
- tiny amountsbit, hint, dash, dot, touch
drop in the bucketgame-changer
Something transforming everything
tipping point · watershed moment · turning point · sea change · paradigm shift
drop in the bucketlion's share
Greatest part of total
the whole nine yards · the whole shebang · mountain · flood · deluge
drop, bucket, dropped, dropping, dripping, droplet, raindrop, dropper, dropsy