ex nihilo
adverb or adjective
ex ni·hi·lo
(ˌ)eks-ˈnē-(h)ə-ˌlō 
-ˈni-,
-ˈnī-
: from or out of nothing
creation ex nihilo
Examples of ex nihilo in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Writing to a Jesuit missionary in China, Leibniz floated the idea that the binary system might help to convert the Chinese to Christianity, by familiarizing them with the Biblical concept of creation ex nihilo.
—
Anthony Gottlieb,
The New Yorker,
6 Jan. 2025
Woke ideas about race and power did not form ex nihilo in the minds of DEI consultants at K–12 schools.
—
Garion Frankel,
National Review,
5 Mar. 2022
The Hilton was Europe’s first major modern hotel to be constructed ex nihilo after the war, built with glass, steel and White Portland cement from Germany, marble from Italy, aluminum windows, elevators and air-conditioning units from America.
—
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2022
These lurid blossoms, the largest in the world, seem to have erupted — blossomed seems too delicate a description — ex nihilo.
—
Richard Pallardy,
Discover Magazine,
15 July 2021
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Anthony Gottlieb,
The New Yorker,
6 Jan. 2025
Woke ideas about race and power did not form ex nihilo in the minds of DEI consultants at K–12 schools.
—
Garion Frankel,
National Review,
5 Mar. 2022
The Hilton was Europe’s first major modern hotel to be constructed ex nihilo after the war, built with glass, steel and White Portland cement from Germany, marble from Italy, aluminum windows, elevators and air-conditioning units from America.
—
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2022
These lurid blossoms, the largest in the world, seem to have erupted — blossomed seems too delicate a description — ex nihilo.
—
Richard Pallardy,
Discover Magazine,
15 July 2021
Cite this Entry
“Ex nihilo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ex%20nihilo. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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