1
as in nobody
a person of no importance or influence
a passive and retiring little zilch of a person
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Recent Examples of zilch
The women earned as little as $25 per game—or frequently zilch.
—
Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
Reviews have been mixed, with some critics embracing Gyllenhaal’s bold vision and others dismissing it as a whole lot of sound and fury, signifying zilch.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Once all the air pollution goes to zilch in half an hour, the Airmega automatically switches into eco mode.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2026
At zero or zip or zilch charge.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 30 Jan. 2026
The Bengals, meanwhile, have zip-zilch-nada defensively other than Trey Hendrickson, who might not play on a short week with a bad back/hip.
—Vic Tafur, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
Reviews have been mixed, with some critics embracing Gyllenhaal’s bold vision and others dismissing it as a whole lot of sound and fury, signifying zilch.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Once all the air pollution goes to zilch in half an hour, the Airmega automatically switches into eco mode.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2026
At zero or zip or zilch charge.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 30 Jan. 2026
The Bengals, meanwhile, have zip-zilch-nada defensively other than Trey Hendrickson, who might not play on a short week with a bad back/hip.
—Vic Tafur, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for zilch
Noun
-
Unlike some of his more strapping forebears (think Liam Neeson, Kevin Costner, or Aaron Eckhart), Odenkirk specializes in nobodies and normals: people one would not expect to be killing machines.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
-
After all, why listen to a podcast with two nobodies co-hosting when a listener can get an hour from a familiar celebrity.—
Frank Racioppi,
Forbes.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
While CinemaCon 2026 brought us exciting news about new films, it was also bogged down with status quo nothings about how Amazon MGM still hasn’t found a new James Bond.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
-
When Dana, who, like Virginia, had been successful in writing pleasant but undistinguished nothings—in her case, songs for Billy Rose’s revues—decided to try taking on more serious music by studying with Boulanger, Virginia entered a deep downward spiral.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Consider a dashboard that shows applications, including keys and libraries; network traffic protocols and ciphers; hardware, such as HSMs and TPMs; and third-party dependencies, including cryptographic or software bills of materials.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
As zonky cross-generational ciphers go, the group’s debut, Strictly 4 the Scythe, is no Hypnotize Camp Posse, the amalgam of Three 6 Mafia and a grip of artists signed to their Hypnotize Minds label in the early 2000s.—
Dylan Green,
Pitchfork,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The right-hander pitched like a vet, throwing up zeros in the second, third and fourth, but Arvada West couldn’t get to Raiders junior pitcher Mikey Kroll.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
30 May 2026
-
After that came five more zeroes as a starter before his streak finally ended.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
For instance, Eilish is an animal lover with a pet dwarf hamster named Tomato Bisque Soup.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
1 June 2026
-
Writer Steve Phillips’ investments in the race dwarfs spending by any other single donor.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Shop lightweight and breathable pairs that still look polished, including these pleated trousers.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
2 June 2026
-
Is the fabric lightweight and likely to tangle?—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
But the parasite was eliminated in those nations thanks to a wildly successful effort called the sterile insect technique, which involved the release of sterile flies in Panama that caused the fly population to collapse.—
Tanya Lewis,
Scientific American,
4 June 2026
-
The way to eliminate New World screwworm, Rollins said, is through what’s known as the sterile insect technique.—
Ciara McCarthy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Zilch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zilch. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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