nowhere
- 01 A2 Elementary
adv.not in any place, or not going to any place.
adv.in, at, or to no place; used as a negative locative adverb.
Simple“I looked for my keys for an hour, but they were nowhere to be found.”
In context“The investigation led the detectives nowhere, as every potential witness claimed to have seen nothing unusual that night.”
PitfallI didn't go nowhere yesterday. I went nowhere yesterday.In standard English, avoid using 'nowhere' with another negative word like 'didn't' because it creates a double negative.
SynonymsnoplaceAntonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
n.a place that is very far away from other houses or cities.
n.a remote, isolated, or non-existent place; frequently used in the idiomatic phrase 'middle of nowhere'.
Simple“Their car broke down in the middle of nowhere with no phone signal.”
In context“The research station was located in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by hundreds of miles of uninhabited tundra.”
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
adj.not important or not leading to any success.
adj.lacking importance, status, or a clear future; often used to describe jobs or situations with no prospects.
Simple“He felt stuck in a nowhere job with no chance of a promotion.”
In context“After years of playing in nowhere towns for tiny audiences, the band finally signed a major recording contract.”
UsageUsually placed before the noun it describes.
SynonymsAntonyms
Usage nowhere else
From Middle English nowher, from Old English nōhwēr, nāhwǣr, from nā- + hwǣr. By surface analysis, no + where. Adjective usage is taken from phrases like nowhere on the map (signifying the location was too small or too insignificant to be listed), nowhere you want to be, etc.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.