nobody
UK: ˈnəʊbədi | US: ˈnoʊbɑːdi
pron. no person; not anyone
n. a person of no importance or influence
The word "nobody" combines the negative prefix "no" (from Old English "nā," meaning "not") with "body" (from Old English "bodig," originally meaning "torso" but later generalized to "person"). By the 16th century, "nobody" emerged as a pronoun meaning "no person," reflecting its literal morphemic construction. The noun sense ("a person of no importance") developed later, emphasizing the dismissive connotation of being unseen or insignificant—as if one were "no body" at all.
Nobody knew the answer to the riddle.
She felt like a nobody in the crowded city.
The room was so quiet—nobody dared to speak.
He went from being a nobody to a famous actor.
If nobody objects, we’ll proceed with the plan.