nobody
Americanpronoun
noun
pronoun
noun
Other Word Forms
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.
"And you can certainly say that there was a kind of social pressure -- but nobody was forced to join the party."
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
It is quite possible that nobody alive today has watched more football than Marcelo Bielsa.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
Although it registered a magnitude of 3.8, nobody reported feeling it.
From Science Daily • Jun. 3, 2026
When the New York Knicks signed Jalen Brunson in 2022, nobody expected it to be the start of a championship run.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
It was so hard nobody could break it and so sharp it would hurt anybody who touched it.
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.
