What is the meaning of the phrase ‘all for naught’?
All for nothing. (Or nothing has been achieved or gained, it was all in vain.)
What is the origin of the phrase ‘all for naught’?
In the phrase ‘all for naught’, the word ‘naught’ or ‘nought’ means ‘nothing’. The word ‘naught’ has carried this meaning since the early 1400s according to etymologists. It derives from the Old English ‘nāwiht,’ which means ‘nothing’ and can be likened to similar words in Old Saxon (‘neowiht’), German (‘nichts’), Old High German, and Dutch (‘niets’).
The word ‘naught’ was occasionally used by the famous wordsmith William Shakespeare, (1564 – 1616) including in the tragedies Romeo and Juliet, and Othello.
So, when someone says ‘all for naught’ they are simply saying that all the efforts made no difference at all, and nothing was gained or achieved.
Interestingly, there was also a time, in the mid 16th century, when the word ‘naught’ was also used as an adjective to mean morally bad or wicked. It is possibly through this that we have our word ‘naughty’
What are some notable uses of the phrase ‘all for naught’?
During World War II, Winston Churchill’s speeches sometimes reflected the dire circumstances and the fear that all efforts against the Axis powers might be “all for naught” if they did not achieve victory.
Similarly, in his Gettysburg Address in 1863, Abraham Lincoln acknowledged the possibility that the sacrifices made in the Civil War might be “all for naught” if the Union did not prevail and if democracy itself were to perish.
