nobody
NOH-bod-ee
Nobody (pron) means not any person; no one. Example: “Nobody was home when the delivery driver arrived.”
pron
1
Not any person; no one.
"Nobody was home when the delivery driver arrived."
"Nobody answered when I knocked on the door."
"Nobody expected the team to win the final."
noun
1
A person considered unimportant or insignificant.
"I felt like a nobody at the party full of famous guests."
"She refused to be treated as a nobody in her own company."
"He went from being a nobody to a household name overnight."
How to use nobody
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither "no one at all," or, as a noun, someone seen as unimportant.
Common pairings
a nobody
nobody knows
nobody else
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like nobody.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Plural
- nobodies
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
_____ was home when the delivery driver arrived.
Etymology
From Middle English no body, literally "not any person."
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for nobody
See all rhymes for nobody →Frequently asked questions
What does “nobody” mean?
The word “nobody” means not any person; no one. In plain terms, either "no one at all," or, as a noun, someone seen as unimportant.
How do you pronounce “nobody”?
“Nobody” is pronounced NOH-bod-ee (/ˈnoʊ.bə.di/ in IPA).
How do you use “nobody” in a sentence?
Here is “nobody” used in a sentence: “Nobody answered when I knocked on the door.”
What is the opposite of “nobody”?
The opposite of “nobody” — its antonyms — are anybody, everybody, anyone, everyone and somebody.
What part of speech is “nobody”?
Depending on how it is used, “nobody” can be a pronoun and a noun.
Where does the word “nobody” come from?
The word “nobody” comes from Middle English. From Middle English no body, literally "not any person.".
Is “nobody” a common word?
“Nobody” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “nobody” have?
“Nobody” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: not any person; no one.
What is the difference between 'nobody' and 'no one'?
They mean exactly the same thing, not a single person, and are almost always interchangeable. 'No one' is written as two words and feels slightly more formal, while 'nobody' is a touch more casual. Both are treated as singular, so they take a singular verb: 'nobody is here'.
Is 'nobody' singular or plural?
'Nobody' is grammatically singular and takes a singular verb, as in 'nobody was late'. In everyday speech, though, it is often followed by 'they' or 'their' when the person's gender is unknown, as in 'nobody brought their coat'. This mix of singular verb and plural pronoun is widely accepted.
What is the opposite of 'nobody'?
The direct opposites are 'everybody' and 'everyone', meaning all people rather than none. 'Somebody' or 'someone' sits in the middle, referring to an unspecified single person. So a sentence can move from 'nobody came' through 'somebody came' to 'everybody came' as the number rises.
Can 'nobody' mean an unimportant person?
Yes. Used as a noun, 'a nobody' describes someone seen as insignificant or lacking status, as in 'he was a nobody before the show made him famous'. It is the opposite of a 'somebody', a person who is important or well known. This usage is informal and can sound dismissive.
Featured in
Vocabulary lists that include nobody:
