nothingburger
Americannoun
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an often highly publicized event or situation that is said to have less impact or significance than expected.
The meeting of world leaders turned out to be a big nothingburger.
-
a person of little or no importance; a nothing; a nobody.
She's a minor celebrity—a nothingburger.
Etymology
Origin of nothingburger
First recorded in 1950–55; nothing ( def. ) + burger ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That Ramsey would choose such a nothingburger phrase like “passively raise awareness” says more than anything.
From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2025
“This was a nothingburger you will forget,” he said of that debate.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
Mr. Kuniskis has been a vocal supporter of muscle cars for years, and how much they stand out compared to the “four-door nothingburger, no-personality” sedans, he said in a 2018 interview with Bloomberg News.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 17, 2022
Awards season this year is already a nothingburger.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 2, 2022
People who get into The Expanse in the future, and binge-watch all of its seasons straight through, may find Alex’s death weird: both heroic, and a total nothingburger.
From Slate ● Feb. 3, 2021
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
