nobody
English
Alternative forms
- nobuddy, nobudy
Etymology
From Middle English nobody, no-body, no body, equivalent to a compound of no (“none, not any”, adjective) + body (“one, person, individual”).
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈnəʊ.bə.di/, /ˈnəʊ.bɒ.di/
Audio (UK) (file)
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈnoʊ.bə.di/, /ˈnoʊ.ˌbʌ.di/, /ˈnoʊ.bɑ.di/
Audio (US) (file)
Pronoun
nobody
- Not any person; the logical negation of somebody.
- I asked several people, but nobody knew how.
- As nobody who is not blind can have failed to notice, I had my hair cut just yesterday.
Usage notes
- Nobody has a lower degree of formality than no one, but is still standard and is unremarkable in more formal contexts.
- See more at no one
Synonyms
- no one, small fry, small potatoes
Antonyms
- anybody, anyone
- everybody, everyone
- somebody, someone
Derived terms
- nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people
- nobody's fool
Related terms
Terms related to nobody
- anybody
- everybody
- somebody
- nofuckingbody
- nothing
- nowhere
Translations
not any person; the logical negation of somebody — see no one
Noun
nobody (plural nobodies)
- Someone who is not important or well-known.
- 1835, Charlotte Brontë, chapter XXVII, in Villette:
- “‘The nobody you once thought me!’ I repeated, and my face grew a little hot; but I would not be angry: of what importance was a school-girl’s crude use of the terms nobody and somebody?”
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Related terms
- nonentity
Translations
unimportant person
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