Nonentity

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A being perceived as lacking any noteworthy characteristics or value
2. An individual or entity considered irrelevant or inconsequential in a particular situation
3. Someone or something regarded as insignificant or lacking impact or recognition

Etymology: Nonentity is one of those words whose meaning seems to be built from pieces that don't quite add up. Its first half, "non-", is the ordinary Latin negation, while "entity" comes from Medieval Latin "entitas," a philosophical coinage meaning "being" or "that which is," itself built from the Latin "ens," the present participle of "esse," "to be." Medieval scholars used "entitas" to talk about the essential reality of things, so an entity was something that truly existed in the fullest sense. Put "non-" in front and you get "not-being," a term that sounds like it belongs in a medieval debate about metaphysics rather than a complaint about a forgettable colleague. English took "entity" in the 1600s, and "nonentity" followed as a compound, with the sense of a thing that scarcely exists at all. Its modern meaning, a person or thing of no importance, is a fairly direct extension of that literal "not-being" sense.

Synonyms: nobody, insignificance, nullity, nonexistence, zero

Antonyms: somebody, entity, importance, significance, celebrity