nowhere
adv. · n. · adj.-
1 in or to no place (adv.) A2 Elementarynot in any place, or not going to any place.
in, at, or to no place; used as a negative locative adverb.
ExampleI looked for my keys for an hour, but they were nowhere to be found.
ExampleThe investigation led the detectives nowhere, as every potential witness claimed to have seen nothing unusual that night.
- noplace
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.
-
2 a remote place (n.) B1 Intermediatea place that is very far away from other houses or cities.
a remote, isolated, or non-existent place; frequently used in the idiomatic phrase 'middle of nowhere'.
ExampleTheir car broke down in the middle of nowhere with no phone signal.
ExampleThe research station was located in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by hundreds of miles of uninhabited tundra.
Show 1 more senseShow fewer
-
3 unimportant (adj.) C1 Advanced Informalnot important or not leading to any success.
lacking importance, status, or a clear future; often used to describe jobs or situations with no prospects.
ExampleHe felt stuck in a nowhere job with no chance of a promotion.
ExampleAfter years of playing in nowhere towns for tiny audiences, the band finally signed a major recording contract.
UsageUsually placed before the noun it describes.
- dead end
- unimportant
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.