English Reference
noun

nothingness

n.
US /ˈnəθɪŋnəs/ UK /nˈʌθɪŋnəs/ noth·ing·ness UK spelling nothingnesses

  1. 01 C1 Advanced Academic Philosophy

    the state of not existing or being nothing.

    the state of nonexistence; the condition of being nothing or having no being.

    Simple

    Some people fear that death is simply a return to nothingness.

    In context

    The philosopher argued that the concept of nothingness is essential to understanding the nature of being itself.

    nonexistencenullity
  2. 02 C1 Advanced Literary

    a large space that contains nothing; a total void.

    a physical or metaphorical void; a state of absolute emptiness.

    Simple

    He stared out into the black nothingness of the desert night.

    In context

    The astronaut gazed into the vast nothingness of deep space, feeling small against the infinite dark.

  3. 03 C2 Proficiency LiteraryFormal

    the quality of having no importance or meaning.

    the quality of inconsequentiality or a total lack of significance.

    Simple

    She felt a sense of nothingness when she realized her hard work was ignored.

    In context

    The critic dismissed the novel, claiming its themes were reduced to mere nothingness by the author's shallow prose.

    insignificancetriviality

From nothing + -ness.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated