nobody
Americanpronoun
noun
pronoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of nobody
First recorded 1300–50; Middle English; see origin at no 2, body
Compare meaning
How does nobody compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Vocabulary lists containing nobody
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.
He said that "nobody" including Iran would control the Strait of Hormuz and rejected reports that Iran and the Gulf state of Oman could control a toll system for the waterway.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
As of Memorial Day, nobody, possibly including both Mr. Trump and Iran’s supreme leader, seems to know.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
But no matter how closely the horses in movies resemble the horses we see in nature, nobody argued that movies create living horses.
From Slate • May 25, 2026
But after Dunkley whacked spinner Nensi Patel to mid-off in the fourth over, England stalled and nobody was able to match Devine's proactive approach and fearless power-hitting.
From BBC • May 23, 2026
Ten other kids got on the bus before we got to school, but nobody sat with me.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
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.
