Meaning of nothingburger | Babel Free

Definitions

1. An unimportant person; a nobody, a nonentity.
   informal
2. Something of less importance than its treatment suggests; also, something which is bland or unremarkable in appearance or impact.
   informal
3. A matter of no concern, especially one that had been of concern; A non-issue.
   informal

Equivalents

Examples

“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.”

“I've had two fantastic mothers—one a hero who flew planes—and I turned out to be just a big nothingburger with no courage at all.”

“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 for environmental protection in particular.”

“Except for Easter, isn't March kind of a nothingburger (unless your birthday is in it!) month? Shall we try to make it memorable?”

“Browner admitted that the new policies would have no impact […] Kaufman […] called Browner's announcement "a nothingburger."”

“That's how ugly she was—ugly by virtue of the fact that she was unmemorable, a slab of alabaster awaiting a sculptor who never arrived, a "nothing burger" if there ever was one.”

“[A]s Lee Gomes of The Wall Street Journal noted in a great column last week, the announcement was "a model for how well-known companies can make a major media event out of a nothingburger."”

“This 2005 Donald Trump tax return is a total nothingburger [title]”

“The two shake hands and Jones is asked: "What do you think is going to happen this week with the whole Russia thing?" Jones responds: "The Russia thing is just a big nothing burger."”

“If the [Donald] Trump Jr. meeting was a "nothingburger" because President [Donald] Trump didn't know about it, then a future revelation that Trump did know about Russia collusion might force his defenders to admit he did something wrong. If the Trump Jr. meeting was a "nothingburger" because it didn't lead anywhere, then a future revelation that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government in a more substantive, sustained way would be hard to dismiss.”

“The forecasted megastorm turned out to be a huge nothingburger.”

CEFR level