nothingburger

Or noth·ing bur·ger

[nuhth-ing-bur-ger]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nothingburger¹

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

Example Sentences

Even her much-discussed premiere episode, which featured a 45-minute interview with Vice President JD Vance, was a big nothingburger.

From Salon

Still, it might be tempting to dismiss the whole thing as a goofy internet nothingburger.

From Slate

But it was all a nothingburger: Most of the information within the new files was already revealed in prior documentation, and the binder papers were heavily redacted—hardly a “declassification.”

From Slate

That Ramsey would choose such a nothingburger phrase like “passively raise awareness” says more than anything.

From Salon

Functionally, she’s just prey, an appetizing nothingburger who, like the script, is little more than a string of illogical decisions.

From Los Angeles Times