ex nihilo

American  

[eks nahy-uh-loh, nee-uh-] / ˌɛks ˈnaɪ əˌloʊ, ˈni ə- /

adverb

Latin.

1. out of nothing; from nothing.

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Etymology

Origin of ex nihilo

First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin ex nihilō, equivalent to ex + nihilō (ablative singular of nihil “nothing”); ex- ¹ ( def. ), nil

Example Sentences

Wallen’s hours-long pity parties didn’t spring up ex nihilo.

From Salon • May 16, 2025

Finally, the course of events in Los Angeles challenged the myth that the “Old Left” was irrelevant in the Sixties and that the New Left had invented itself ex nihilo.

From The Guardian • Apr. 15, 2020

Composites are rarer than straight knockoffs, and creations ex nihilo are rarer still.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 9, 2019

For its advocates, the $25 billion development is a shining new city ex nihilo, a wellspring of future tax revenues and evidence of a miraculous, post-9/11 civic volte-face.

From New York Times • Mar. 14, 2019

The first was the problem of the creation of life from nonlife—genesis ex nihilo.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee