nothing

Pronunciation: /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

Reading level: easy

Estimated CEFR level: A1 — Beginner

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a quantity of no importance
  2. adverb in no respect; to no degree

Etymology

From Middle English nothyng, noon thing, non thing, na þing, nan thing, nan þing, from Old English nāþing, nān þing (“nothing”, literally “not any thing”), equivalent to no + thing. Compare Old English nāwiht (“nothing”, literally “no thing”), Swedish ingenting (“nothing”, literally “not any thing, no thing”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

nil, nix, nada, null, aught, cipher, cypher, goose egg, naught, zero, zilch, zip, zippo

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
relative quantity
Narrower (hyponyms)
nihil, bugger all

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