Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Nothing

Noth′ing

,
Noun.
[From
no
, a. +
thing
.]
1.
Not anything; no thing (in the widest sense of the word thing); – opposed to
anything
and
something
.
Yet had his aspect
nothing
of severe.
Dryden.
2.
Nonexistence; nonentity; absence of being; nihility; nothingness.
Shak.
3.
A thing of no account, value, or note; something irrelevant and impertinent; something of comparative unimportance; utter insignificance; a trifle.
Behold, ye are of
nothing
, and your work of nought.
Is. xli. 24.
’T is
nothing
, says the fool; but, says the friend,
This
nothing
, sir, will bring you to your end.
Dryden.
4.
(Arith.)
A cipher; naught.
Nothing but
,
only; no more than.
Chaucer.
To make nothing of
.
(a)
To make no difficulty of; to consider as trifling or important.
“We are industrious to preserve our bodies from slavery, but we make nothing of suffering our souls to be slaves to our lusts.”
Ray.
(b)
Not to understand;
as, I could
make nothing of
what he said
.

Noth′ing

,
adv.
In no degree; not at all; in no wise.
Adam, with such counsel
nothing
swayed.
Milton.
The influence of reason in producing our passions is
nothing
near so extensive as is commonly believed.
Burke.
Nothing off
(Naut.)
,
an order to the steersman to keep the vessel close to the wind.

Webster 1828 Edition


Nothing

NOTH'ING

,
Noun.
[no and thing.]
1.
Not any thing; not any being or existence; a word that denies the existence of any thing; non-entity; opposed to something. The world was created from nothing.
2.
Non-existnce; a state of annihilation.
3.
Not any thing; not any particular thing, deed or event. Nothing was done to redeem our character. He thought nothing done, while any thing remained to be done.
A determination to choose nothing is a determination not to choose the truth.
4.
No other thing.
Nothing but this will entitle you to God's acceptance.
5.
No part, portion, quantity or degree. The troops manifested nothing of irresolution in the attack.
Yet had his aspect nothing of severe.
6.
No importance; no value; no use.
Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of naught. Isaiah 41.
7.
No possession of estate; a low condition.
A man that from very nothing is grown to an unspeakable estate.
8.
A thing of no proportion to something, or of trifling value or advantage.
The charge of making the ground, and otherwise, is great, but nothing to the profit.
9.
A trifle; a thing of no consideration or importance.
Tis nothing, says the fool; but says the friend, this nothing, sir, will bring you to your end.
To make nothing of, to make no difficulty or to consider as trifling, light or unimportant.
We are industrious to presere our bodies from slavery, but we make nothing of suffering our souls to be slaves to our lusts.

NOTH'ING

,
adv.
In no degree; not at all.
Adam, with such counsel nothing sway'd--
In the phrase, nothing worth, the words are transposed; the natural order being, worth nothing.

Definition 2024


nothing

nothing

English

Alternative forms

Pronoun

nothing

  1. Not any thing; no thing.
    • 1839, Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby:
      the players see little or nothing of their cards at first starting
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 19, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      Nothing was too small to receive attention, if a supervising eye could suggest improvements likely to conduce to the common welfare. Mr. Gordon Burnage, for instance, personally visited dust-bins and back premises, accompanied by a sort of village bailiff, going his round like a commanding officer doing billets.
    • 2013 July 19, Peter Wilby, Finland spreads word on schools”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 30:
      Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then, without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16. Charging school fees is illegal, and so is sorting pupils into ability groups by streaming or setting.
  2. An absence of anything, including empty space, brightness, darkness, matter, or a vacuum.

Synonyms

See Wikisaurus:nothing
  • (something trifling): nothing of any consequence, nothing consequential, nothing important, nothing significant, something inconsequential, something insignificant, something of no consequence, something trifling, something unimportant

Antonyms

Translations

Noun

nothing (plural nothings)

  1. Something trifling, or of no consequence or importance.
    What happened to your face? It's nothing.
    • Jeremy Taylor
      Sermons are not like curious inquiries after new nothings, but pursuances of old truths.
  2. A trivial remark (especially in the term sweet nothings).
  3. A nobody (insignificant person).
    You're nothing to me now!

Translations

Adverb

nothing (not comparable)

  1. (archaic) Not at all; in no way.
    • 1662, Thomas Salusbury, Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two World Systems:
      The Motion from London to Syria is as much as nothing; and nothing altereth the relation which is between them.

Related terms

Derived terms

See also

References

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: part · off · took · #162: nothing · God · three · put