nothingburger

American  

[nuhth-ing-bur-ger] / ˈnʌθ ɪŋˌbɜr gər /

Or nothing burger

noun

Slang

1. an often highly publicized event or situation that is said to have less impact or significance than expected.

   The meeting of world leaders turned out to be a big nothingburger.

2. a person of little or no importance; a nothing; a nobody.

   She's a minor celebrity—a nothingburger.

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Etymology

Origin of nothingburger

First recorded in 1950–55; nothing ( def. ) + burger ( def. )

Example Sentences

“This was a nothingburger you will forget,” he said of that debate.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 29, 2023

Often, the hype turned out to be a giant nothingburger.

From Salon • Aug. 12, 2023

Mr. Kuniskis has been a vocal supporter of muscle cars for years, and how much they stand out compared to the “four-door nothingburger, no-personality” sedans, he said in a 2018 interview with Bloomberg News.

From Washington Times • Aug. 17, 2022

I knew that the much-hyped HBO Max special would be, by design, a kind of nothingburger, even if one tricked out with all the fixings.

From Slate • May 27, 2021

And although the show fulfills its obligation to be breezy and fun, mainly as a teen-centric piece of fluff, never does it ever stretch to become anything more than another Netflix nothingburger.

From Washington Post • Apr. 26, 2020