naught
gb/nˈɔt/ us/nˈɔt/
C1
Engleză
~ 25500
Sensuri
0 sensuri
Substantiv
literary
C1
state
1
nothing; the state of no thing
No thing or not anything; sometimes the number 0.
Tipar de utilizare:
[something] amounts to naught
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners often confuse the spelling and usage of 'naught' and 'not'. 'Naught' is a noun meaning 'nothing' and is mainly literary or old-fashioned, while 'not' is an adverb used to make verbs negative (e.g., 'do not know'). Also, in modern English, 'nothing' is far more common than 'naught'.
Sinonime
nothing (Most common modern word; neutral in style, unlike the more literary or old-fashioned 'naught'.)
|
zero (Used especially for numbers or scores; 'naught' in this sense is now rare and sounds old-fashioned.)
Antonime
something (Indicates the existence of a thing, directly opposing the idea of there being nothing.)
|
everything (Stresses the presence of all things, which contrasts strongly with the idea of nothing.)
Colocații
for naught
|came to naught
|amounts to naught
|reduced to naught
|set at naught
Teme
philosophy
|mathematics
|core_vocabulary
|quantity
Exemple
- All their careful planning came to naught in the storm.
- He feared that his sacrifices would be for naught.
- Without trust, their promises are naught but empty words.
- Her efforts to warn them were naught in the eyes of the council.
- The years of work seemed naught compared to a single careless mistake.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- The long meeting was for naught, and nothing changed.
- Their big plan came to naught in the end.
- He felt that his hard work was naught when the project closed.
Substantiv
literary
C1
state
2
complete failure or ruin
A state where a plan, effort, or hope fails completely and gives no good result.
Tipar de utilizare:
[plan/effort] comes to naught
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may think 'come to naught' is the same as 'come to an end'. It specifically means to end in failure or with no useful result, not just to finish.
Sinonime
failure (Neutral and common; does not carry the slightly formal, literary tone of 'naught'.)
|
ruin (Stresses destruction or serious damage, while 'naught' can be more general about lack of result.)
Antonime
success (Directly opposite, as it means that efforts or plans achieve the desired result.)
|
achievement (Highlights a positive result, contrasting with the idea of everything ending in nothing.)
Colocații
come to naught
|plans to naught
|efforts to naught
|ambitions to naught
|schemes to naught
Teme
success
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- Despite years of negotiation, the peace talks came to naught.
- Her hopes of promotion were brought to naught by the sudden hiring freeze.
- Their attempt at reform came to naught after the election.
- The rescue mission nearly came to naught when the weather turned.
- All our careful preparations threatened to come to naught.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- Their big plan came to naught and they failed.
- His hopes for a new life came to naught.
- The project almost came to naught because of one small error.
Gramatică
Forma de dicționar
naught
IPA
GB/nˈɔt/
US/nˈɔt/
Silabe și accent
naught (1 silabă)
Stress on 1st syllable (naught)
Forme ale cuvântului
Noun
- Base: naught
- Plural: naught, naughts
Familie de cuvinte
Expresii
bring to naught
1/bɹˈɪŋ tə nˈɔt/
idiom
literary
cause to fail completely
To stop a plan, effort, or hope so that it fails and gives no good result.
Exemple
- A single mistake can bring years of careful work to naught.
- The sudden policy change brought their negotiations to naught.
come to naught
1/kˈʌm tə nˈɔt/
idiom
literary
end in complete failure
To fail completely and give no good or useful result.
Exemple
- Years of research came to naught when the funding was cut.
- The peace talks came to naught after a single violent incident.
for naught
1/fɚ nˈɔt/
fixed phrase
literary
in vain; for nothing
Without any result, benefit, or purpose; with no success.
Exemple
- He worried that all his late nights were for naught.
- They did not want their struggle to be for naught.
set at naught
1/sˈɛt ˈæt nˈɔt/
idiom
archaic
treat with complete disregard
To ignore something or someone completely and act as if it has no value or power.
Exemple
- They set at naught the warnings of the experts.
- The new regime set at naught the old laws.