Phrase guide

nothing but

adv · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

adv

Meaning 1

Only.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: nothing less than; nothing if not (in some usages)
  • Do you solemnly swear that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
  • a right in nothing but name

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: absolutely, all-out, tout à fait, all the way, blind, altogether, at large, at length, cap-a-pie, categorically, completely, detailly, downright, entirely, exhaustively, finally, first and last, flat-out, flat out, from aardvark to zymurgy, from A to Z, from head to toe, from soup to nuts, from stem to stern, from the rooter to the tooter, from top to bottom, from top to toe, fully, handsomely, heartily, head to foot, head to tail, head to toe, hook, line, and sinker, in detail, in full, lock, stock, and barrel, one hundred percent, out-and-out, out and out, outright, particularly, perfectly, plumb, properly, purely, quite, right, root and branch, soundly, soup-to-nuts, straight up, through and through, top to tail, top to toe, totally, totes, to the bone, to the core, to the full, utterly, well and truly, whole, whole cloth, wholly, barely, but, just, literally, merely, no more than, nothing but, only, simply, nothing less than, nothing if not

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English nothyng but, from Old English nan þing butan

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: vain — nothing but
  • Finnish: pelkästään — nothing but
  • French: rien que — nothing but
  • French: ne...que — nothing but
  • Georgian: არაფერია თუ არა (araperia tu ara) — nothing but
  • German: nichts als — nothing but
  • Japanese: 以外の何者でもない (igai no nanimono de mo nai) — nothing but
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ikke noe annet enn — nothing but
  • Norwegian Bokmål: intet annet enn — nothing but
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ingenting annet enn — nothing but
  • Romanian: nimic altceva decât — nothing but
  • Swedish: inget annat än — nothing but
  • Swedish: intet annat än — nothing but
  • Swedish: ingenting annat än — nothing but
  • Welsh: dim ond — nothing but
  • Welsh: 'mond — nothing but