drop in the sea
Insignificant small amount
A drop in the sea is a quantity so small relative to what's needed that it makes no meaningful difference.
The image is of adding a single drop to an ocean—technically more water, but effectively nothing: The donation was generous, but against the scale of the disaster, it was a drop in the sea.
Also appears as a drop in the bucket or a drop in the ocean.
- minusculeExtremely small in size
- small fryChildren or insignificant people
- trivialLacking significance or weight
- negligibleToo small to consider
- insignificantLacking importance or consequence
tip of the iceberg · metaphor · needle in a haystack · fractional · infinitesimal · peanuts · small potatoes · chump change · pittance · small change · inconsequential · perspective · spit in the wind · futility · not even close · microscopic · tiny · marginal
drop in the seagame changer
Decisive transformative factor
tipping point · turning point · watershed moment · sea change · paradigm shift
drop in the sealion's share
Greatest part of total
bulk · majority · the whole nine yards · everything but the kitchen sink · mountain
drop, drops, dropped, dropping, dropper, droplet, droplets, seawater, seafarer