What is the difference between Anything and Nothing? - ProProfs Discuss
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What is the difference between Anything and Nothing?

Asked by T. Lopez, Last updated: Apr 19, 2024

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4 Answers

S. Barnes

S. Barnes

Driving down to Knowledge town

S. Barnes
S. Barnes, Chauffeur, Graduate, Seattle

Answered Dec 04, 2020

Anything is a word used to describe any event, act, fact, or object that has the potential of becoming or being something. People use the word “anything” for something that is present or has the potential of becoming a reality.

At times, it can be used as an indefinite pronoun to replace a noun. “Anything” can be used to describe something important. On the other hand, the word “nothing” means an absence of anything or a lack of anything. For instance, it has the connotations of darkness, a vacuum, and empty space.

At times, people use it to describe events or things that are unimportant. You can use ‘nothing’ to describe things that do not exist. Like “anything,” the word “nothing” can also be used as an indefinite pronoun. Some people argued that the word “nothing” must not be used to function as a noun since it describes the absence of anything.

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M. Porter

M. Porter

Here to relax my mind a bit

M. Porter
M. Porter, Senior Executive, Master of Art, San Jose

Answered Oct 22, 2020

Anything and Nothing are two pronouns of the English language. They have opposite meanings. Anything means that something can occur, with or without any clear timeline. Nothing means that something would not exist. When using them in sentences, it is easier to understand the difference between the two words.

An example of using the world anything is with the sentence, "More than anything else in the world, I love spending time with my daughter." An example of using the word nothing in a sentence is "There is nothing that can stop me from getting the job of my dreams today."

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I. Muller

I. Muller

I. Muller
I. Muller, Math Professor, North Carolina

Answered Oct 07, 2020

When you say anything, this means that you are possibly referring to a lot of different things. You can use it when you are trying to ask questions. There are also some people who use it when they want to create a negative sentence.

Some people would also use the word “anything” to show that they do not really mind what will be chosen. When you say “nothing,” this means that you are not referring to any single thing at all. For example, you may ask if there is still an available item on one of the things that you are checking. When you say “nothing,” this means that there is no available item any more or the item never existed in the first place.

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F. Ray

F. Ray

F. Ray
F. Ray, Student, Kansas City

Answered May 06, 2020

Both the words anything and nothing are two pronouns with the entirely opposite meaning. They have almost no similarities between them but still needs to be explained better for some to understand fully. Anything actually means the existence of something with or without a definite description, whereas nothing simply means the nonexistent of something.

There is no essence in nothing, while anything has an essence in it. I hear people make mistakes when they want to use these words in sentences. When trying to make a description of the nonexistence of something, some would say, "I do have nothing with me," which is actually wrong.

They are saying the opposite of what they mean. Instead, they should have said, "I do not have anything with me." When you say you do not have anything, then you have nullified that nothing, which means you have something. Both words can be used pertaining to any idea or thing.

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