naught Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a quantity of no importance
    cypher; aught; zip; nil; nada; zero; nix; cipher; zilch; goose egg; zippo; nothing; null.
    • it looked like nothing I had ever seen before
    • reduced to nil all the work we had done
    • we racked up a pathetic goose egg
    • it was all for naught
    • I didn't hear zilch about it
  2. noun complete failure
    • all my efforts led to naught

WordNet

Naught noun
Etymology
OE. naught, nought, naht, nawiht, AS. nwiht, nuht, nht; ne not + ever + wiht thing, whit; hence, not ever a whit. See No, adv. Whit, and cf. Aught, Not.
Definitions
  1. Nothing. Written also nought.
    Doth Job fear God for naught? Job i. 9.
  2. The arithmetical character 0; a cipher. See Cipher. Prov. i. 25.
Naught adverb
Definitions
  1. In no degree; not at all. Chaucer.
    To wealth or sovereign power he naught applied. Fairfax.
Naught adjective
Definitions
  1. Of no value or account; worthless; bad; useless.
    It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer. Prov. xx. 14.
    Go, get you to your house; begone, away! All will be naught else. Shak.
    Things naught and things indifferent. Hooker.
  2. Hence, vile; base; naughty. Obs.
    No man can be stark naught at once. Fuller.

Webster 1913