naught
Americannoun
-
a cipher (0); zero.
adjective
-
lost; ruined.
-
Archaic. worthless; useless.
-
Obsolete. morally bad; wicked.
adverb
idioms
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come to naught, to come to nothing; be without result or fruition; fail.
-
set at naught, to regard or treat as of no importance; disdain.
He entered a milieu that set his ideals at naught.
noun
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archaic nothing or nothingness; ruin or failure
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a variant spelling (esp US) of nought
-
to have disregard or scorn for; disdain
adverb
adjective
Etymology
Origin of naught
before 900; Middle English; Old English nauht, nāwiht ( nā no 1 + wiht thing). See nought, wight 1, whit
Explanation
When things come to naught, they've come to nothing. If you feel bad about ending up with nothing, you can also say "It was all for naught!" Have you ever put a lot of work into something and all you ended up with was nada, nil, nothing, zero, zilch, and zip? Then your efforts came to naught. Naught is a word for nothing that is used in specific ways, usually when a project or effort comes to naught.
Vocabulary lists containing naught
100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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Beowulf vocabulary
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 1
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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.
Some in the Iranian capital feared the ceasefire will come to naught, but others declared victory and most breathed a sigh of relief after weeks of bombardment.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
And even though these characters deserved far better than the screenplay their era would allow, it doesn’t mean their impact is for naught.
From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026
And will it be all for naught if they later attend different high schools?
From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2024
In Michigan those have come to naught, as Kennedy recently gained ballot access after being nominated by the tiny Natural Law Party.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2024
‘But I am content. Till now I have hewn naught but wood since I left Moria.’
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
Definitions 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.
