ENGLISH
REFERENCE

null

n. countable
C1 Advanced US //ˈnəɫ// UK //nˈʌl// null Archaic Slang

n. nothing, or a value that means there is no data. In computing, it shows that a space is empty or a link leads nowhere.

n. a value representing the absence of data or a zero-magnitude result. In programming, it signifies a pointer that does not refer to any object or address.


SIMPLE

The database returned a null value for the missing phone number.

CONTEXTUAL

If the user leaves the middle name field empty, the system records it as null in the profile.

COMPLEX

The experiment was deemed a failure when the results showed a null effect, suggesting that the new drug was no more effective than the existing placebo.

Synonyms
Origin

Borrowed from Middle French nul, from Latin nūllus.

Usage

Often used as a technical term in mathematics and computer science; frequently functions as an attributive modifier in phrases like 'null set' or 'null hypothesis'.

Idioms1 entry

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