1
as in null
having no legal or binding force
the congressional resolution has symbolic value only, as it relates to a matter governed by the states and is thus nugatory
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in minor
lacking importance
the book is entertaining, but its contributions to Shakespearean scholarship are nugatory
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nugatory
Women directors abound in the S&S list: Two Akermans, two Agnès Vardas (none by her husband Jacques Demy, a superior artist), a nugatory Jane Campion soap opera, Vera Chitilová’s obscure Czech feminist screed, etc.
—
Armond White, National Review, 7 Dec. 2022
But the benefits to Russia longer term could be nugatory.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Week, 4 Mar. 2022
It could be used to rationalize stealing the pennies from a dead man’s eyes, true, even considering the nugatory value of the contemporary penny.
—Marilynne Robinson, The New York Review of Books, 27 May 2020
Yet all of these questions seem, increasingly, merely nostalgic, nugatory, in the face of the dissolution of the common solidarity of principles that had once made the liberation happen.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 6 June 2019
Armond White, National Review, 7 Dec. 2022
But the benefits to Russia longer term could be nugatory.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Week, 4 Mar. 2022
It could be used to rationalize stealing the pennies from a dead man’s eyes, true, even considering the nugatory value of the contemporary penny.
—Marilynne Robinson, The New York Review of Books, 27 May 2020
Yet all of these questions seem, increasingly, merely nostalgic, nugatory, in the face of the dissolution of the common solidarity of principles that had once made the liberation happen.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 6 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nugatory
Adjective
-
To reporters late Sunday evening and later on social media, Trump claimed the pardons are null because Biden had used an autopen rather than sign by hand.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA TODAY,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Does her despondent demeanor and null motivation make Elsa herself an ideal pick to surrender her life?—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Aftershocks are typically minor adjustments along the portion of a fault that slipped at the time of the initial earthquake.—
William B. Davis,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
-
The incident, while ultimately only a minor one, did impact the rest of their vacation.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
President Donald Trump wrote on Monday that Biden's pardons for the January 6 committee are invalid because they were signed with an autopen.—
Hannah Parry,
Newsweek,
19 Mar. 2025
-
And on Sunday, the president amplified the threat against the Jan. 6 investigators, saying their pardons were invalid because Biden had used an autopen to sign them.—
Mychael Schnell,
The Hill,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The Liberals' smallest lead was in a poll conducted by Innovative Research among 1,548 Canadian citizens, which showed the party with a lead of just 2 points, on 36 percent to the Conservatives' 34 percent—a lead within the poll's 3 percent margin of error.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Sutter Health Park’s capacity of 14,000 is very small compared to other MLB stadiums.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Trump claims pardons for those on the bipartisan congressional Jan. 6 committee are void, therefore potentially opening the door toward a justification for investigation.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
21 Mar. 2025
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With the department in upheaval, servicers may face a leadership void and unclear directives.—
Shahar Ziv,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Nintendo officially confirmed the Nintendo Switch 2 via a teaser trailer that reveals the hybrid console, a plan for a Nintendo Direct on April 2 to give more details, and very little else.—
Will Greenwald,
PCMAG,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Besides the fact that it’s scheduled to come out on June 22, 2026, very little is known right now about The Daniels upcoming movie at Universal.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The best technology in the world is worthless if people don't use it.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
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The reporter's insistence on pulling the 4-time major champion's tongue was worthless.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Zero Day held a slight lead with 1.84 billion minutes of viewing to 1.81 billion for Reacher.—
Rick Porter,
The Hollywood Reporter,
20 Mar. 2025
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Here, again, there were slight differences in the responses when broken down by party affiliation.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
20 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nugatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nugatory. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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