nothingness

noun

noth·​ing·​ness ˈnə-thiŋ-nəs How to pronounce nothingness (audio)
1
: the quality or state of being nothing: such as
b
: utter insignificance
c
: death
2
: something insignificant or valueless
3

Examples of nothingness in a Sentence

He was staring into nothingness. The sound faded into nothingness.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Worse still, perhaps, at times general-purpose generative AI will produce a heaping of psychobabble, seemingly impressive sounding mental health advice that is nothing more than babbling psychological words of nothingness, see my analysis at the link here. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025 The Padres’ winter of nonsense and nothingness is no more. Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2025 From there, the movie around her is soon reduced to a nothingness of its own making. Chase Hutchinson, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2025 Alexander Vilenkin, meanwhile, has suggested that the universe instead emerged spontaneously from a state of nothingness via a strange quantum mechanics phenomenon known as quantum tunneling. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nothingness

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1631, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nothingness was circa 1631

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nothingness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nothingness. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on nothingness

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!