1
as in nobody
a person of no importance or influence
a passive and retiring little zilch of a person
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Example Sentences
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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
-
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
-
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
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
-
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
-
Arndt and Hampshire starter Gavin Weston both put up zeroes until the Whip-Purs got on the board in the fourth with an RBI single from Cameron Ortega.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The two starters matched zeros through four innings and both flirted with no-hitters.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Big money, uneven returns Steyer’s spending dwarfs every other candidate.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The dwarf fig is worth considering.—
Rachel Silva,
Martha Stewart,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Despite its lightweight feel, the formula features a blend of 16 essential oils—pracaxi seed oil, bay laurel leaf oil, bergamot oil, and fennel seed oil among them.—
Deanna Pai,
Vogue,
27 Apr. 2026
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Keep reading to find more great lightweight, cooling comforters and quilts below—all on sale.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Pesticides can be used to kill insects, rodents and weeds.—
Christiana Freitag,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The perennial herb attracts helpful insects and pollinators to its purple blooms, boosting pollination.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Zilch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/zilch. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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