NOTHING

nothing

(adverb) in no respect; to no degree; “he looks nothing like his father”

nothing, nil, nix, nada, null, aught, cipher, cypher, goose egg, naught, zero, zilch, zip, zippo

(noun) a quantity of no importance; “it looked like nothing I had ever seen before”; “reduced to nil all the work we had done”; “we racked up a pathetic goose egg”; “it was all for naught”; “I didn’t hear zilch about it”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Pronoun

nothing indefinite pronoun

Not any thing; no thing.

An absence of anything, including empty space, brightness, darkness, matter, or a vacuum.

Synonyms

• (not any thing)

(standard): not a thing, naught

(slang): jack, nada, zip, zippo, zilch, squat, nix

(vulgar slang): bugger all, jack shit, sod all (British), fuck all, dick

(Northern English dialect): nowt

See 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

• anything

• everything

• something

Noun

nothing (countable and uncountable, plural nothings)

Something trifling, or of no consequence or importance.

A trivial remark (especially in the term sweet nothings).

A nobody (insignificant person).

Adverb

nothing (not comparable)

(archaic) Not at all; in no way.

Coordinate terms

• nobody, no one

• nowhere

Source: Wiktionary

Noth"ing, n. Etym: [From no, a. + thing.]

1. Not anything; no thing (in the widest sense of the word thing); -- opposed to Ant: anything and Ant: 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.)

Definition: 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.

Definition: 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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition