Word
Of
The
Day
nugatory
nugatory \NOO-guh-tor-ee\
adjective
Something described as
nugatory is of little or no consequence. In law,
nugatory describes something (such as a statute or agreement) without operative legal effect.
// Most of the criticism of the film in the weeks since its release has been
nugatory nonsense.
// This new contract renders the previous agreement
nugatory.
See the entry >
Examples:
“Public outrage, fanned by the press, did not engage with the work but focused instead on taxpayers’ money having been squandered on a worthless ‘pile of bricks.’ In fact, the purchase price of [pounds sterling] 2,297 was
nugatory, but the issue was never really about price but about rejecting the new and the challenging in art.” —
Art Monthly, 1 Dec. 2025
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