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Glite Dictionary
nothing to do with

nothing to do with

976 2.3
Not involved with a person or thing
  • idiom
translation icon : nada que ver con
  • I have nothing to do with your silly war!
  • want nothing to do with
  • reasons have nothing to do with
  • little or nothing to do with

And it's not, it's got nothing to do with my self worth.

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Examples

  • Yeah, and one thing has nothing to do with the other, right?

    Jay Shetty Podcast

  • Why would you do something that has nothing to do with me?

    Theater Camp (2023)

  • And it's not, it's got nothing to do with my self worth.

    Film Courage

  • But the message had nothing to do with doing real things.

    ReasonTV

  • This has nothing to do with what might be in the mail.

  • This phone has nothing to do with how good it is.

  • And it has almost nothing to do with how other people see us.

    Tom Bilyeu

  • I had nothing to do with this, and I'm very sorry.

    Due Season (2022)

  • It has nothing to do with him.

    Emmanuelle (2024)

  • The problem has absolutely nothing to do with our previous discussions.

Synonyms

unrelated
vsnothing to do with
94 3.5

Not connected to the topic or cause

focuses on general lack of involvement rather than specific causal links
irrelevant to
vsnothing to do with
32 4.2

Not related to the subject or situation

means no involvement or association rather than just being inapplicable
unconnected
vsnothing to do with
1 5.0

Not related by birth or family ties

covers broader absence of association beyond family ties
non-related
vsnothing to do with
3.5

Not connected to the main topic or activity

presents the idea as an idiom used in speech rather than a neutral label

Antonyms

connection
∞ 1.9

A relationship between people, things, ideas, or events

involvement
418 2.9

Taking part in an activity, group, or discussion

How Connected

central
528 2.1
involved
79 3.5
connected
2.5
nothing to do with
976 2.3

Surface Forms

nothing to do with main

Morphology

nothing + to + do + with

The meaning 'having no involvement or connection' is compositionally derived from 'nothing' (no thing) combined with the relational phrase 'to do with' (to have a connection or involvement). This is a common, cross-linguistic construction for expressing lack of relation, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words and the basic use of 'do' + preposition will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Nothing to do with gives a simple picture: imagine one thing that has nothing to do with another, as if they are far apart and do not touch. That's why it means 'no connection' or 'no involvement'.