nothingness

American  

[nuhth-ing-nis] / ˈnʌθ ɪŋ nɪs /

noun

1. the state of being nothing.

2. something that is nonexistent.

   a view of humanity as suspended between infinity and nothingness.

3. lack of being; nonexistence.

   The sound faded into nothingness.

4. unconsciousness or death.

   She remembered a dizzy feeling, then nothingness.

5. utter insignificance, emptiness, or worthlessness; triviality.

   The days followed one another in an endless procession of nothingness.

6. something insignificant or without value.

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nothingness British  

/ ˈnʌθɪŋnɪs /

noun

1. the state or condition of being nothing; nonexistence

2. absence of consciousness or life

3. complete insignificance or worthlessness

4. something that is worthless or insignificant

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Etymology

Origin of nothingness

First recorded in 1625–35; nothing + -ness

Example Sentences

The More Oratory Reveals Only Nothingness bill to encourage legislators to sit down and listen once in a while.

From Washington Post • Jul. 29, 2021

Nothingness surrounds them—both formally, on the page, and literally, in the black yawn of space.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 6, 2019

In all events, I will remember him with fondness and gratitude until I return to that Great Eternal Nothingness whence I first emerged some 67 years ago.

From New York Times • Apr. 3, 2018

I'm not saying his reporting on the Winter Games' opening ceremony was sullen, but I gleaned more hope and comfort from my last reading of Sartre's "Being and Nothingness."

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2018

Nothingness was what the world came from, and to achieve nothingness again became the ultimate goal of mankind.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife