What does nothingness mean?
“Nothingness” is a noun naming the state or quality of being nothing, nonexistent, or devoid of substance and significance. It can describe a literal absence, as when a person experiences a profound sense of emptiness, or a philosophical condition in which existence is understood as lacking an underlying basis or meaning. The word is more intellectual and evocative than ordinary terms such as “emptiness”: it often suggests an absence that is complete, unsettling, or conceptually difficult to grasp. In modern philosophy, “nothingness” became especially important through discussions of nihilism and the existentialist idea that reality may contain no predetermined purpose. In ordinary language, it is usually literary or dramatic, and its force comes from combining concrete absence with broader suggestions of meaninglessness, isolation, or spiritual void.
nounThe quality or state of being nothing or nonexistent, especially the absence of any existence, substance, or significance. It can also refer to an emptiness that seems profound or unsettling.
- The quality or state of being nothing or nonexistent.
- An absence of meaning, substance, or significance, especially as an intense or overwhelming experience.
- In philosophical contexts, the condition or notion of existence without any determined being or thing.
"The empty landscape conveyed a profound sense of nothingness that no photograph could capture."
"The philosopher used the term “nothingness” to describe existence without intrinsic meaning."
"She stared into the darkness, overcome by a strange feeling of nothingness."
The plural is rare, as the word is normally used in the singular or in fixed expressions.
"The critics described the different nothingnesses evoked by the empty rooms."
“Nothingness” transforms a simple absence into something philosophical: not merely what is missing, but the unsettling idea of emptiness itself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does nothingness come from?
“Nothingness” was formed in the 17th century by adding the suffix “-ness” to “nothing.” “Nothing” itself developed from Old English nāwiht, a compound of nā, meaning “not,” and wiht, meaning “thing,” so its original sense was “not any thing.” The modern word preserved this ancient Germanic foundation, while the later derivative “nothingness” gave the concept an abstract and philosophical emphasis.
How nothingness is actually used
The word is formal, literary, and philosophical in tone. In everyday use, it usually describes a powerful or unsettling sense of emptiness rather than a simple lack of objects.
Easily confused with nothingness
“Nothingness” names the quality or philosophical idea of being nothing, whereas “nonexistence” more directly refers to the fact that something does not exist.