nada

American  

[nah-duh] / ˈnɑ də /

noun

Informal.

1. nothing; zero; none.

   I have absolutely no motivation—zilch, zip, nada!

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nada British  

/ ˈnɑːdə /

noun

1. informal nothing

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Etymology

Origin of nada

From Spanish, from Latin (rēs) nāta “circumstance,” literally, “(thing) born”; compare Catalan res, French rien, Portuguese nada, all formed similarly; see rebus ( def. ), natal ( def. )

Explanation

Nada means "nothing." The kids next door will be disappointed if they learn that their lemonade stand has earned them nada. The noun nada is an informal way to say "zero." If you ask a deli worker how many plain bagels he has, and he answers, "Nada," it means they're out of your favorite kind. If you leave your calculus class completely confused, you can say that you understand nada. Most experts attribute the English use of nada to Ernest Hemingway, who borrowed it from Spanish, in which it means "nothing." The Latin root, nata, means "small, insignificant thing."

Example Sentences

But if you die first, your $100,000 equity and $30,000 in stocks go to your husband, and your kids get zero — nothing, zilch, nada.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

This sort of circular deal had led to a nice bump in all the stocks involved in the past—but on Wednesday, nada.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 23, 2025

The people charged with doing that are the governor and state lawmakers — from whom we’ve heard exactly nada.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 14, 2023

Pero como su tío ha demostrado una y otra vez durante casi un siglo, nadie le va a ordenar nada.

From New York Times • Sep. 22, 2023

“Aramés, aramás, todavía nada más, ven aquí, ven acá,” The donkey’s words stirred up something fierce and feral in me and I grabbed the nearest stick I could find on the ground.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

Related Words

• nonentity