nothing
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
A quantity of no importance.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
nuhthingSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈnʌθɪŋ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A quantity of no importance
“It looked like nothing I had ever seen before.”
Something trifling, or of no consequence or importance.
A trivial remark especially in the term sweet nothings.
A nobody (insignificant person).
adjective
Completely unimportant.
Lacking effort or commitment.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A quantity of no importance
Used this way, nothing is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This sense is about measurement, so it is used where accuracy is the point.
“It looked like nothing I had ever seen before.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Formal and precise
Where it naturally appears
- Technical/specialist writing
- Academic writing
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use nothing
- “He looks nothing like his father.”adverb
- “It looked like nothing I had ever seen before.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An ignorant person.
Without warning.
Person who does no work.
Inconsequential expressions of affection.
An idle worthless person.
A former political party in the United States.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “nothing” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.