know-nothing
noun
know-noth·ing ˈnō-ˌnə-thiŋ 
2
Know-Nothing : a member of a 19th century secret American political organization hostile to the political influence of recent immigrants and Roman Catholics
know-nothing adjective
Examples of know-nothing in a Sentence
often disparaged her coworkers as a bunch of know-nothings
Recent Examples on the Web
What began as conceptual satire about know-nothing critics with nothing to say became, Heidecker believes, more about the democratization of entertainment and the last days of Hollywood reverence. —
Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 2026 That said, what’s more insufferable—a skeptical know-it-all or a proud know-nothing? —Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026 How about the Hollywood know-nothings Susan Sarandon or Mark Ruffalo, who have so much to say about the suffering of Hamas terrorists but not a peep for people being brutalized and murdered by actual terrorists? —Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2026 What kind of bizarro-world finds Dr. Anthony Fauci labeled a know-nothing criminal and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. —Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 6 Jan. 2026 Then there are those who rage against their children’s accomplishments, clinging to the hierarchy agreed upon when the child was a helpless know-nothing. —Madeline Leung Coleman, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2025 Lewis’s superficial attack abets the know-nothing Trump Administration, which spurns cooperative allies and rational arrangements. —Harper’s Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025 The secret is that Spike’s know-nothing naivete encourages us to see the world through the eyes of someone who’s new to every part of it. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 18 June 2025 After the know-nothing county board opts to raze the baseball diamond to make way for a school, the teams meet for one final game at their beloved Soldier’s Field, with girlfriends, kids, and local hooligans as intermittent spectators. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 2026 That said, what’s more insufferable—a skeptical know-it-all or a proud know-nothing? —Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026 How about the Hollywood know-nothings Susan Sarandon or Mark Ruffalo, who have so much to say about the suffering of Hamas terrorists but not a peep for people being brutalized and murdered by actual terrorists? —Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2026 What kind of bizarro-world finds Dr. Anthony Fauci labeled a know-nothing criminal and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. —Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 6 Jan. 2026 Then there are those who rage against their children’s accomplishments, clinging to the hierarchy agreed upon when the child was a helpless know-nothing. —Madeline Leung Coleman, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2025 Lewis’s superficial attack abets the know-nothing Trump Administration, which spurns cooperative allies and rational arrangements. —Harper’s Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025 The secret is that Spike’s know-nothing naivete encourages us to see the world through the eyes of someone who’s new to every part of it. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 18 June 2025 After the know-nothing county board opts to raze the baseball diamond to make way for a school, the teams meet for one final game at their beloved Soldier’s Field, with girlfriends, kids, and local hooligans as intermittent spectators. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Know-nothing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/know-nothing. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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