none the wiser
4
7.2
- idiom
:
sin saber más
- After explaining the situation multiple times, I was still none the wiser about what to do next.
And our enemies were none the wiser.
- And our enemies were none the wiser.
- They'll change it for you and you'll be none the wiser.
- They could have all gone to Hamburger University or Trump University and I wouldn't be none the wiser.
Examples
-
The press willingly plays along with the current scenario; the tail is wagging the dog, and the foolish masses are none the wiser.
Blog text (33) -
All those years in England seem to have left you none the wiser.
-
I am none the wiser.
Blog text (29) -
I just read it to you, and I'm none the wiser.
-
All while the team from Twilio was none the wiser.
Blog text (2) -
She's none the wiser and eats it all.
Blog text (4) -
We slip in, we locate Soh-Larr... and we get out, leaving them none the wiser.
-
None the wiser, Peregrine obediently turned back and went to do as Adam had asked.
Fiction book (1991) -
If the holding goes undetected, it can lead to gains in yardage, and the fans, unless they are looking closely, are none the wiser.
Blog text (5) -
Last season, most of the swimming community was none the wiser about Lauren Perdue's severe back injury until after the ACCs, when she pulled out of the NCAA Championships.
Blog text (9)
Synonyms
110
5.5
Not told about important things, so you do not know them
96
4.3
Not knowing about a subject or how to do something
42
3.7
Not knowing about a subject or situation
5
5.8
Not aware that something is happening or true
2
7.0
Not understanding what someone says or means
1
7.1
Not knowing much about a subject
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'none' (not any) with 'the wiser' (more wise/informed), so its sense 'not any more informed' is directly derivable from the constituent meanings. Although the fixed idiomatic ordering ('none the wiser') is formulaic, it follows a transparent comparative-negation pattern that a B1 learner who knows the parts will readily interpret.
Etymology
None the wiser may come from an old English pattern like 'none the richer'; here none means 'not any' and wiser means 'more wise'. Imagine someone listens to an explanation but learns nothing — they are 'not one bit wiser', so the phrase means 'not having learned anything'.