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
-
Seattle’s John Schneider and New England’s Eliot Wolf rose up from young nobodies to graduate from Green Bay Packers University, too.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Many of Newsom’s critics who breathlessly report on his evil plans (that the left-wing mainstream media supposedly cover up) are just nobodies who feign authority and are obviously fronting for right-wing organizations.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Why did her mom press so hard for the littlest of nothings?—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
4 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
The still-unidentified Zodiac Killer, who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s, frequently sent threats, demands and ciphers to multiple local papers — namely the San Francisco Chronicle.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
After starters Mitch Keller and David Peterson matched zeros in 42-degree weather, Nick Gonzales lined an RBI single for Pittsburgh with one out in the 10th to break a scoreless tie.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Extrapolating from the National Weather Service estimates, the likelihood of being struck six times is roughly one in 13 septillion—that’s a 13 followed by 24 zeros.—
Jacob Stern,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Dodgers’ $850-million annual revenue dwarfs competitors like the Diamondbacks at $324 million, exemplifying the financial gulf driving owners’ desire for cost controls.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
-
In a new study published on Monday in the Astrophysical Journal, researchers used computers to simulate the two dwarf galaxies’ 100-million-year-long collision.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Stay on top of your health and fitness with this lightweight, wristband-style tracker.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
-
These towels are ultra-thin, sand-free microfiber essentials that shake clean instantly, dry three times faster than cotton, and fold down lightweight and compact for the ultimate travel-ready getaway.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There was SimAnt in 1991, which involves tunneling out the chambers of an anthill, forging insect alliances and attacking enemies.—
Eric Boodman,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Not only are mushroom crops particularly dependent on weather conditions, but traditional exclusion cages won’t keep out rodents and insects, which also like mushrooms.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Zilch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zilch. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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