nobody
Americanpronoun
noun
-
nobodies
plural
pronoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of nobody
First recorded 1300–50; Middle English; see origin at no 2, body
Compare meaning
How does nobody compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Use the word nobody to mean "no one," or for someone who's completely unimportant or insignificant. It's not nice to call someone a nobody; everyone wants to be a somebody. If nobody is at home, you can ring the doorbell for an hour and get no response, and if nobody in your family likes pizza, there's no reason to order it for dinner. Since nobody means "no person," it's come to also have the meaning "insignificant person." It's hard not to feel like a nobody when your sister becomes famous after starring in a popular movie.
Vocabulary lists containing nobody
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.
See Examples For:
Nobody would have said anything about that — and nobody would care if they did.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
"What will it be like in another 10 years if nobody takes action?" he asked.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The survivor later said in a statement "nobody ever listened to me" and that the police who interviewed her had spoken to her "like a child".
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Besides, nobody ever said, nor ever put on a campaign sticker, “The establishment? It’s cool!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
I felt I could hold onto everything better if I never talked about it and nobody ever knew.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
“They are both really nobodies; they’re both people doing a job,” O’Meara said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
The film, though set 70 years in the past, is intentional about mirroring the way we now encounter fascinating strangers on social media, where huge stars with millions of followers are nobodies to everyone else.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
"We are very proud of this! We are nobodies, we have no money, nothing!"
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2025
A small group of nobodies on TikTok saying dumb shit is not a viral trend that necessitates mass hysteria in response.
From Slate ● Nov. 16, 2023
I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies.
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
