nobody

American  

[noh-bod-ee, -buhd-ee, -buh-dee] / ˈnoʊˌbɒd i, -ˌbʌd i, -bə di /

pronoun

1. no person; not anyone; no one.

   Nobody answered, so I hung up.

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noun

plural

nobodies

1. a person of no importance, influence, or power.

nobody British  

/ ˈnəʊbədɪ /

pronoun

1. no person; no-one

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noun

1. an insignificant person

nobody Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing nobody

• like crazy (nobody's business)

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Etymology

Origin of nobody

First recorded 1300–50; Middle English; no ², body

Compare meaning

How does nobody compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• no one vs. nobody

Explanation

Use the word nobody to mean "no one," or for someone who's completely unimportant or insignificant. It's not nice to call someone a nobody; everyone wants to be a somebody. If nobody is at home, you can ring the doorbell for an hour and get no response, and if nobody in your family likes pizza, there's no reason to order it for dinner. Since nobody means "no person," it's come to also have the meaning "insignificant person." It's hard not to feel like a nobody when your sister becomes famous after starring in a popular movie.

Example Sentences

It happened the way things end when nobody decides to end them.

From Slate • Apr. 12, 2026

Two years ago, Nvidia chief Jensen Huang declared that the ultimate goal was to make it so "nobody has to program" or code.

From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026

They’d probably charge a toll on oil and gas that was low enough that nobody minded paying it.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026

On his way to golfing utopia last year, McIlroy carded four double bogeys over the week - a tally which nobody had ever recorded and still managed to don the Green Jacket.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Quickly, probably hoping that nobody would notice, Mr. Hodge looked back toward Gary, who was watching from the end of the line.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

• nothing