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Glite Dictionary
nothing short of

nothing short of

39 4.9
To say that something is exactly as said to show strong feeling
  • idiom
translation icon : nada menos que
  • And what you did was nothing short of a miracle.
  • nothing short of astonishing
  • nothing short of astounding
  • nothing short of miraculous

Tim Ferriss, I am nothing short of thrilled to have you here.

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Examples

  • The results are nothing short of incredible.

  • Their work for the past year and change has been nothing short of heroic.

    Harvard University

  • And it was nothing short of life changing.

  • But what she has done for my life has been nothing short of amazing.

    Rich Roll

  • It's doing well, and this has been nothing short of a success as well.

  • Their reunion was nothing short of a miracle.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Your plan is nothing short of brilliance.

    Pompeii (2014)

  • Gentlemen, your contribution has been nothing short of miraculous.

    Hurricane (2018)

  • The results compounded over the past four decades have been nothing short of astounding.

    Blog text (8)

  • And it was nothing short of life changing.

Synonyms

just
vsnothing short of
∞ 1.0

Exactly the thing or amount needed

adds strong emphasis, insisting it is absolutely and not at all different
precisely
vsnothing short of
470 3.4

Show that something is exactly right or that you agree

expresses absolute exactness rather than mere correctness or affirmation
nothing less than
vsnothing short of
37 4.9

A strong way to say that something is exactly or at least what you expect

is stronger, meaning it is exactly and absolutely that thing with no reduction

How Emphatic

nothing short of
39 4.9
absolutely
∞ 1.0
really
∞ 1.0
quite
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

nothing short of main

Morphology

nothing + short + of

The literal parts ('nothing' + 'short' + 'of') provide clues toward a meaning like 'not less than' or 'not lacking', so a learner can partially infer an emphatic sense. However, the exact pragmatic force of the fixed phrase — used to strongly assert that something is exactly/absolutely as stated — is idiomatic and depends on the established pattern 'nothing short of', making it not fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Nothing short of comes from the simple idea that short means 'less than'. Saying there is nothing 'short of' X paints the picture 'not even a little less' than X, so the phrase strongly means 'exactly' or 'completely' X.