null
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.having no legal power or being equal to nothing.
adj.having no legal force or validity; alternatively, representing a value of zero or an empty set.
Simple“The judge declared that the old contract was null and void.”
In context“The agreement was rendered null and void after it was discovered that one of the signatories had acted without proper legal authority.”
UsageCommonly used in the fixed phrase 'null and void'.
- 02 C1 Advanced
n.a value that means 'no data' or 'nothing' in a computer program.
n.a special marker used in programming to indicate that a data element does not have a value.
Simple“The program crashed because the database returned a null instead of a name.”
In context“The developer implemented a check to ensure the function would not execute if the input variable was null.”
UsageOften functions as an uncountable noun in technical contexts.
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.the starting idea in a science test that says there is no change or no effect.
n.the hypothesis that there is no significant difference between specified populations, any observed difference being due to sampling or experimental error.
Simple“The scientists failed to reject the null during their first experiment.”
In context“Statistical significance was not reached, meaning the researchers could not disprove the null hypothesis regarding the drug's efficacy.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
v.to break the security on a piece of software so it can be used for free.
v.to remove digital rights management or licensing restrictions from software.
Simple“He found a nulled version of the expensive photo editor online.”
In context“Using nulled software is a significant security risk as the modified code often contains hidden malware or backdoors.”
Usage null hypothesis
Borrowed from Middle French nul, from Latin nūllus.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.