nonentity

See also: non-entity

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

non- +‎ entity

Noun

nonentity (countable and uncountable, plural nonentities)

  1. (countable) An unimportant or insignificant person.
    • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, pages 201–202:
      The Queen Mother detests, but she dreads me—my uncle is indifferent, but finds me of use—our new Queen is already a nonentity—and Louis knows that my house is the most agreeable in Paris.
    • 1973, Patrick O'Brian, HMS Surprise, →ISBN:
      But I am not the penniless nonentity I was when we first met; I can offer an honorable if not a brilliant marriage; and at the very lowest I can provide my wife – my widow, my relict – with a decent competence, an assured future.
    • 2000, J.K. Rowling, quoting Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, →ISBN, page 203:
      Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It's almost as though he's a complete nonentity, isn't it?
  2. (uncountable) The state of not existing; nonexistence.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations
nonexistence — see nonexistence
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