adjective General Slang

Nowhere

/ˈnoʊwɛr/ · adjective · slang

Hopelessly square, dull, or worthless — going nowhere, leading nowhere.

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Definitions

1

Describing a person who is a dead loss, a 'nowhere' type.

“Don't waste time on that nowhere cat.”
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2

Boring, lame, or hopelessly unhip; the opposite of 'gone.'

“That party was nowhere, daddy-o.”
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3

Worthless or unpromising; without merit.

“His square ideas about art are strictly nowhere.”
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Nowhere In A Sentence

The conversation was nowhere, so we split.
Square job, square town — it's all nowhere.
That band is nowhere compared to the cats downtown.

Origin & Usage

A 1950s beat and jazz inversion that turned 'nowhere' into an adjective for anything dull or worthless — the negative pole opposite 'gone' or 'the most.' It captured the beat scorn for the conventional 'square' world.

Variants nowheresvillestrictly nowhere
Tags #beatnik#1950s#beat-generation#vintage#boredom

People Also Ask

What does nowhere mean in beatnik slang?

As an adjective it means dull, square, or worthless — the opposite of 'gone' or 'cool.' 'That's nowhere' was a put-down.

Where did nowhere come from?

From 1950s beat and jazz slang that turned 'nowhere' into an adjective, the negative opposite of 'the most,' expressing scorn for the square world.

What's the opposite of nowhere in this sense?

'Gone,' 'far out,' or 'the most' — all the beat words for excellent. 'Nowhere' was the dead-end opposite.

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