Nothing Meaning
/ˈnʌθɪŋ/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
pronNot any thing; no thing.
pronAn absence of anything, including empty space, brightness, darkness, matter, or a vacuum.
Sentence Examples
I have nothing better to do.
Nothing is beautiful but the truth.
There was nothing in her bag.
CEFR Practice Quiz
After searching the entire room, they found ____ inside the empty box.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He searched the entire room but found ____ that could provide a clue to her whereabouts.
Word Origin & History
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”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"the players see little or nothing of their cards at first starting"
— 1839, Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby:
"A ceremony at which two persons undertake to become one, one undertakes to become nothing, and nothing undertakes to become supportable."
— 1911, Ambrose Bierce, “Wedding”, in The Devil’s Dictionary, New York, N.Y.; Washington, D.C.: The Neale Publishing Company, →OCLC:
"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."
— 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XIX, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
"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."
— 2013 July 19, Peter Wilby, “Finland spreads word on schools”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 30:
"Sermons are not like curious inquiries after new nothings, but pursuances of old truths."
— 1651–1653, Jer[emy] Taylor, ΕΝΙΑΥΤΟΣ [Eniautos]. A Course of Sermons for All the Sundays of the Year. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Richard Royston […], published 1655, →OCLC:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
After searching the entire room, they found ____ inside the empty box.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He searched the entire room but found ____ that could provide a clue to her whereabouts.