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  • Much Ado About Nothing
    Much Ado About Nothing
    noun
    a comedy (1598?) by Shakespeare.
  • much ado about nothing
    much ado about nothing
    A big fuss over a trifle, as in Jerry had everyone running around looking for his gloves—much ado about nothing. Although this expression is best remembered as the title of Shakespeare's comedy, the phrase much ado was already being used for a big commotion or trouble in the early 1500s.
Synonyms

Much Ado About Nothing

American  

noun

  1. a comedy (1598?) by Shakespeare.


much ado about nothing Idioms  
  1. A big fuss over a trifle, as in Jerry had everyone running around looking for his gloves—much ado about nothing. Although this expression is best remembered as the title of Shakespeare's comedy, the phrase much ado was already being used for a big commotion or trouble in the early 1500s.


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:

He also got to see the 2019 Shakespeare in the Park production of "Much Ado About Nothing" — those tickets are free, but handed out either by lottery or to folks who wait in line.

From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2024

In 1967 he played Don John in a BBC studio recording of Franco Zeffirelli's famous production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2021

The pair’s spiky relationship has earned comparisons to Benedick and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 2, 2018

Much Ado About Nothing Young love blossoms while former lovers bicker in Shakespeare’s romantic comedy; three-time Tony winner Kathleen Marshall directs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2018

Next is a monologue from Much Ado About Nothing, which is actually pretty good, but will be totally lost on the judges.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

But focusing on the COLA’s magnitude is much ado about nothing.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

In a letter to members of Congress, distributed by the Supreme Court and reported on by CNN, Alito argued that the controversy was much ado about nothing.

From Salon ● May 29, 2024

Former England international John Barnes described the controversy about the colours on the St George's Cross as "much ado about nothing".

From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2024

Since it’s just July 30 and the Seahawks don’t play a regular-season game until Sept. 10, any concern over the injuries might be much ado about nothing.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 30, 2023

For instance, Raoul’s much ado about nothing comes by way of his father, a failed Shakespearean actor who gave up the dream and started a theater camp for underprivileged children.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

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