nothingburger
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nothingburger
- /ˈnʌθɪŋbɜːɡə/ UK
- /ˈnʌθɪŋˌbɝɡɚ/ US
Where it comes from
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.
noun nothingburgers · nothing-burger · nothing burger
-
An unimportant person; a nobody, a nonentity.
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.
Similar: absolute zero, also-ran, chopped liver, cipher, crumb, Joe Nobody, little guy, minnow, nebbish, nobody, no one, nothing · Opposite: baron, big cheese, big enchilada, big gun, big kahuna, big man, big name, big noise, big shot, bigwig, big wheel, boss
-
Something of less importance than its treatment suggests; also, something which is bland or unremarkable in appearance or impact.
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 fo
Similar: nothing sandwich, unthing, bagatelle, bag of shells, bric-a-brac, dicky, dicky-bird, fico, fig, inconsequential, flamfew, flyspeck · Opposite: somethingburger
- A matter of no concern, especially one that had been of concern; a non-issue. The forecasted megastorm turned out to be a huge nothingburger.
adjective nothing-burger · nothing burger
-
Of less importance than its treatment suggests; insignificant, unimportant; also, bland or unremarkable in appearance or impact.
Well, I think better a splendid fake than those little-bitty, itsy-poo nothing burger gold dinkies you wear only because they're real.
Similar: base, contemptible, floccinaucinihilipilificatious, foolish, for the birds, futile, frivolous, idle, ignorable, immaterial, inconsequential, inconsiderable · Opposite: remarkable, significant, big, central, consequential, critical, crucial, epochful, essential, extraordinary, fateful, fatefraught
Translations
Every language
noun unimportant person — see also nobody, nonentity
| Español | don nadie, cero a la izquierda |
|---|
noun something of little importance
| Deutsch | heiße Luft, Lacher, Luftnummer |
|---|
Talk about this word "nothingburger." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/nothingburger. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. nothingburger. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/nothingburger "nothingburger." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/nothingburger.Cite this
@misc{nothingburger_2026,
title = {nothingburger},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/nothingburger},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
