nothingburger
/ˈnʌθɪŋˌbɝɡɚ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.43 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Something of less importance than its treatment suggests; also, something which is bland or unremarkable in appearance or impact.
Informal
adj
Of less importance than its treatment suggests; insignificant, unimportant; also, bland or unremarkable in appearance or impact.
Informal
Example Sentences
- "After all, if it hadn’t been for Sam[uel] Goldwyn Farley [Granger] might very well be a nothingburger. However, I have a hunch this whole arrangement is on a friendly basis."
- "I've had two fantastic mothers—one a hero who flew planes—and I turned out to be just a big nothingburger with no courage at all."
- "She [Anne Gorsuch Burford] calls NACOA [the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere] a "joke" and a "nothingburger," whatever that is. Nothing I could say could more graphically demonstrate the contempt she has shown, and will continue to show again, for public service in general and for environmental protection in particular."
- "Except for Easter, isn't March kind of a nothingburger (unless your birthday is in it!) month? Shall we try to make it memorable?"
- "Browner admitted that the new policies would have no impact […] Kaufman […] called Browner's announcement "a nothingburger.""
- "That's how ugly she was—ugly by virtue of the fact that she was unmemorable, a slab of alabaster awaiting a sculptor who never arrived, a "nothing burger" if there ever was one."
Etymology
Etymology tree Old English nāþing Middle English nothyng English nothing Proto-Indo-European *kónh₂mder. Proto-Indo-European *kónh₂méh₂-der. Proto-Germanic *hanmōder.? Proto-Germanic *hammō Old High German hammeder.? Old High German Hamme Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *bʰérǵʰs? Proto-Indo-European *bʰergʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *bʰérgʰs? Proto-Germanic *burgz Proto-West Germanic *burg Old High German burg Old High German Hammaburg German Hamburg Proto-Indo-European *wer- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Germanic *warjaną Proto-Germanic *warjaz ▲ Proto-Germanic *-ārijazinflu. Old High German -āri Middle High German -ære German -er German Hamburgerder. English hamburgerclip. English burger English nothingburger The noun is derived from nothing (pronoun, noun) + -burger (suffix forming names of hamburgers served in buns with the addition of specified foodstuffs, or with foodstuffs in place of the usual meat), a metaphorical reference to a burger missing a patty—its most significant component. The word was apparently coined by the American gossip columnist Louella Parsons (1881–1972) in her widely syndicated daily column “Louella’s Move-Go-’Round” of June 1, 1953: see the quotation. The adjective is derived from the noun.
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈnʌθɪŋˌbɝɡɚ/
- British English: /ˈnʌθɪŋbɜːɡə/