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Glite Dictionary
nothing but

nothing but

∞ 1.5
Only, not anything else
  • idiom
: nada más que
  • For much of the American population, this would be nothing but good news.
  • contain nothing but
  • leave nothing but
  • feel nothing but

I threw up nothing but hot red fire.

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Examples

  • There's been nothing but trouble and arguments Since that damned Heathcliff came back.

    Wuthering Heights (1970)

  • Drift through the days full of nothing but peace and quiet.

    Lost Horizon (1973)

  • I had gone two straight weeks with nothing but water all day every day.

  • It's for people who know nothing but the absolute best.

  • We appreciate it and we wish y'all nothing but the best much more.

  • I've got nothing but weird energy from him ever since we got here.

    Hell of a Summer (2023)

  • Here we all are, back on Earth, with nothing but our wit and our will to save the world.

    Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

  • For many years, Lacey has given me nothing but heartache.

    Buck Southworth: U.S. Air Force Flight Crew (2021)

  • If it's my position you're worried about, I can reassure you I feel nothing but relief.

    Conclave (2024)

  • I had gone two straight weeks with nothing but water all day every day.

Synonyms

only
vsnothing but
∞ 1.0

No more than the thing or person mentioned

adds a minimizing, dismissive tone rather than being purely neutral
but
vsnothing but
  • Literature
∞ 1.0

Only a small amount or a short time

is a multiword expression used to emphasize exclusion rather than a brief particle
merely
vsnothing but
678 3.1

Only and nothing more

is expressed as a phrase rather than a single adverb
nothing more than
vsnothing but
279 2.9

To say that something is only what it is and not more important

expresses exclusion without necessarily implying inferiority or belittling
solely
vsnothing but
209 4.0

Only, not involving anyone or anything else

is a common phrase that limits reference without high formality

Antonyms

everything but
272 3.4

All things except one thing

How Exclusive

purely
243 2.5
nothing but
∞ 1.5
only
∞ 1.0
just
∞ 1.0
merely
678 3.1

Surface Forms

nothing but positive

Morphology

nothing + but

The meaning 'only; nothing except' is directly compositional: 'nothing' combined with 'but' in its 'except/only' sense yields 'nothing but' = 'only'. Both words retain their ordinary senses and the construction is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Nothing but comes from a simple picture: you see nothing except one thing, and the word but here means 'except'. That's why nothing but now means 'only' or 'nothing except'.