nothing 1 of 3

Definition of nothingnext

nothing

2 of 3

adverb

nothing

3 of 3

adjective

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of nothing
Noun
The one whose legs turned nothings into somethings, improvising the Lions’ entire defensive game plan into a pile of ash? Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2024 The stereotype of large women in horned helmets warbling silly nothings comes largely from the period when American operagoers had lost the language skills that our great-grandparents had, either as European immigrants or European-admiring, upper-class swells. Nicholas Gallagher, Washington Examiner, 12 Jan. 2024 And just so, these clouds like lines of coke, these fine bird-bone clouds giving structure to the afternoon sky will decompose into faint nothings. Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 9 June 2023 But even before that, women like Tina Turner and Josephine Baker were wearing costumes that evoked intimate little nothings. Kristen Bateman, ELLE, 14 Apr. 2023 See All Example Sentences for nothing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nothing
Noun
  • Professional athletes, however, aren’t nobodies.
    Joe Kozlowski, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
  • More importantly, the narrative explores both sides of the conflict from the POV of grunts and 'nobodies' trying to navigate the post-Civil War state of the galaxy before the fighting stops.
    Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Society has rationalized the human into triviality, and we’re stuck in a bad game.
    Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
  • Who was this irritant who had eluded the most sophisticated lawmen in the country, thanks to the triviality of his crimes?
    David Grann, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Players with lots of recruiting stars next to their names and coaches with lots of zeroes on their paychecks.
    Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
  • According to Su, the current compute infrastructure runs at 100 zetaflops, but to serve 5 billion AI users worldwide, this needs to be raised to 10 Yottaflops (10 followed by 20 zeros).
    Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 6 Jan. 2026
Adverb
  • The boy jerks his head as if to wake himself, turns around abruptly and looks the other way, even though there’s nothing special to see besides darkness and emptiness, which is where a living eye should never look.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
  • There are other Washburn regulars here too, like the excellent actors Bruce McKenzie and Jeff Biehl, but despite all their long acquaintance, something about the project never quite comes into focus.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The gain from a call option would exceed the return on the stock alone, but involves greater risk than simply buying the stock because the contracts can expire worthless.
    Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 7 Jan. 2026
  • When Ukraine agreed to give up the nuclear weapons on its soil in the mid-1990s, Russia provided a security guarantee that proved worthless.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The movie, which posits an impending nuclear strike on a major American city, is a flimsy yet high-minded piece of doomsday schlock, largely populated by ciphers in suits and drained of the pulp pleasures that schlock, at its best, can afford.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Such ciphers are easy to crack using techniques such as checking letter frequency and identifying common patterns.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • No injuries were reported after the incident, but airport staff who witnessed the landing described hearing multiple popping sounds as the wheels hit the tarmac followed by visible smoke.
    Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 8 Jan. 2026
  • The 13 apartments were damaged by fire, smoke or water.
    Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • That doesn’t mean getting the flu shot was for naught.
    Helen Branswell, STAT, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Because of this failure, Lindsay’s good intentions and accomplishments were largely for naught.
    Daniel Wortel-London, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Nothing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nothing. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.

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