nothingness

American  

[nuhth-ing-nis] / ˈnʌθ ɪŋ nɪs /

noun

1. the state of being nothing.

2. something that is nonexistent.

   a view of humanity as suspended between infinity and nothingness.

3. lack of being; nonexistence.

   The sound faded into nothingness.

4. unconsciousness or death.

   She remembered a dizzy feeling, then nothingness.

5. utter insignificance, emptiness, or worthlessness; triviality.

   The days followed one another in an endless procession of nothingness.

6. something insignificant or without value.

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nothingness British  

/ ˈnʌθɪŋnɪs /

noun

1. the state or condition of being nothing; nonexistence

2. absence of consciousness or life

3. complete insignificance or worthlessness

4. something that is worthless or insignificant

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Etymology

Origin of nothingness

First recorded in 1625–35; nothing + -ness

Example Sentences

I want it to almost feel like nothingness.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2025

“That’s what baseball’s all about. These long periods of nothing happening and then bursts of action. I wanted to tease out those passages of nothingness and show that there’s actually a lot happening.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2025

Old sceptics, hard-bitten by a quarter of a century of nothingness, were beginning to turn.

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2025

It’s not because she’s afraid of the hell or nothingness that awaits her.

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2024

She was around for a few months, and as she had appeared, out of limbo, so she disappeared into nothingness.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou