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nugatory

 
Dictionary: nu·ga·to·ry   ('gə-tôr'ē, -tōr'ē, nyū'-) pronunciation
adj.
  1. Of little or no importance; trifling.
  2. Having no force; invalid. See synonyms at vain.

[Latin nūgātōrius, from nūgātor, trifler, from nūgārī, to trifle, from nūgae, jokes.]


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(NOO-guh-tor-ee, NYOO-) pronunciation

adjective
1. Of little value; trifling.
2. Having no force; ineffective.

Etymology
From Latin nugatorius (trifling), from nugari (to trifle)

Usage
"A profound shift in the balance of power between labour and capital over the past three decades has resulted in nugatory increases in real earnings for most but massive rewards for those at the top." — Larry Elliott; Why Obama Has to Find Answer to the Worst Economic Mess Since FDR's Day; The Guardian (London, UK); Nov 22, 2008.


Having little meaning. A nugatory statement or command is one that provides little value and might just as well be omitted. See deprecate.

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Thesaurus: nugatory
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adjective

    Contemptibly unimportant: inconsiderable, negligible, niggling, paltry, petty, picayune, piddling, small, small-minded, trifling. Slang measly. Idioms: of no account. See important/unimportant.

Law Encyclopedia: Nugatory
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This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

Invalid; lacking legal force.

A statute is nugatory if it has been declared unconstitutional.

Obscure Words: nugatory
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of little or no consequence; trifling , inconsequential; inoperative
Word Tutor: nugatory
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Of little importance.

pronunciation They were not interested in carrying the furniture up the stairs for such a nugatory reward.

Translations: Nugatory
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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - ubetydelig, værdiløs

Nederlands (Dutch)
nietig, waardeloos, futiel, ongeldig

Français (French)
adj. - sans valeur, non valable

Deutsch (German)
adj. - nichtig, ungültig

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - ασήμαντος, αναξιόλογος, μηδαμινός

Italiano (Italian)
futile, invalidato

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - fútil, sem valor, ineficaz

Русский (Russian)
пустяковый, негодный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - insignificante, ineficaz

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - obetydlig, värdelös, ogiltig

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
无价值的, 无效的, 无用的

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 無價值的, 無效的, 無用的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 별 볼일 없는, 무효의

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 無意味な, 無効の

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) تافه, باطل‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮חסר-ערך, לא תקף‬


 
 
Learn More
deprecate (technology)
vain
subterfuge

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