nonentity
/nɒnˈentəti/ (bre, ipa) · /nɑːnˈentəti/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌnän-ˈen-tə-tē -ˈe-nə-/ (ame, mw)
nonentity — noun
- nonentitysingular
- nonentitiesplural
1. someone who carries so little weight that other people do not take them seriousl
someone who carries so little weight that other people do not take them seriously or listen to them.
In the capital's party meetings, Mark was treated as a nonentity.
pattern: treat someone as a nonentity
After the merger, Lara felt like a nonentity beside the senior directors.
The newspaper mocked the candidate as a nonentity with no clear message.
At school reunions, Minh still sees the old nonentity in the mirror.
Years in the back office left Dario a nonentity in company politics.
- nobody
more informal and often harsher; emphasises that the person is not important or famous
- cipher
more literary; suggests a person with no power or individuality
- lightweight
focuses on weak ability or poor judgment rather than invisibility
- leader
someone whose views matter and influence others
- heavyweight
informal; a person with major power or importance in a field
文法句型
be a nonentity
treat someone as a nonentity
用法筆記
Strongly judgmental and usually used by outsiders talking about status in politics, business, or social life. Common after 'treat as', 'dismiss as', or 'see as', and it suggests that the person has no influence within the group being discussed.
常見錯誤
2. the condition of being so unnoticed or unimportant that almost nobody pays atten
the condition of being so unnoticed or unimportant that almost nobody pays attention to you or to what you do.
The club slipped into nonentity after its only star retired.
pattern: slip into nonentity
The app rose from nonentity to global success in six months.
pattern: rise from nonentity
After the scandal ended, the actor quickly faded into nonentity again.
Nia feared the small magazine would vanish into nonentity without new readers.
The town was rescued from nonentity when the railway museum opened.
- obscurity
closest everyday choice; emphasises not being widely known
- anonymity
focuses on having no public identity rather than having no influence
- insignificance
stresses lack of importance more than lack of public notice
- prominence
the state of being important and easy to notice
- fame
public recognition, often on a large scale
文法句型
slip into nonentity
rise from nonentity
rescue someone or something from nonentity
用法筆記
Usually follows 'into', 'from', or 'out of' and is most natural for careers, towns, clubs, publications, or public figures that receive little notice. It is more formal and more dramatic than everyday words like 'obscurity'.
3. the condition of having no real existence at all, or an imagined thing that turn
the condition of having no real existence at all, or an imagined thing that turns out not to be real.
The witness later admitted the attacker was a nonentity created by panic.
a nonentity created by panic
The contract treated the fake company as a legal nonentity from the start.
legal register: legal nonentity
The old map showed an island that modern science regards as a nonentity.
Once the rumor was checked, the supposed danger proved a nonentity.
In Professor Hale's lecture, students argued whether absolute nonentity can even be imagined.
- nonexistence
the usual abstract noun for complete absence of existence
- nullity
legal or formal; something treated as void or without force
- fiction
emphasises that the thing exists only in imagination or invention
文法句型
be a nonentity
legal nonentity
absolute nonentity
用法筆記
Common in legal, philosophical, and highly formal writing. The countable use points to something imagined, false, or invalid, while the uncountable use talks about total absence of existence itself.