- Today's Word
Nugatory
NOO-guh-tor-ee
Definition
(adjective) Of no value or importance; worthless or futile.
Example
The committee’s recommendations proved nugatory since no one had the authority to implement them.
Word Origin
Early 17th century: from Latin “nugatorius,” from “nugari” meaning “to trifle,” derived from “nugae” meaning “jests” or “trifles.”
Fun Fact
Nugatory shares its Latin root with “nugacious” (trivial or futile) and connects to the idea of “nugae”—Roman slang for worthless chatter or trivial nonsense. Roman writers used “nugae” to describe everything from idle gossip to pointless poetry. Today, lawyers frequently deploy “nugatory” in legal writing to dismiss arguments as having no legal value whatsoever. It’s the formal, sophisticated way of saying something is completely pointless—though ironically, using such an elaborate word to express worthlessness might itself seem a bit nugatory.