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Nothing

represents an element of a list that will automatically be removed.

Nothing[…]

gives Nothing.

Details
Details and Options Details and Options
Examples  
Basic Examples  
Scope  
Generalizations & Extensions  
Applications  
Properties & Relations  
Possible Issues  
See Also
Related Guides
Related Links
History
Cite this Page

Nothing

Nothing

represents an element of a list that will automatically be removed.

Nothing[…]

gives Nothing.

Details

  • Nothing is removed as part of the standard evaluation process. It is not removed in expressions that are held or inactive.

Examples

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Basic Examples  (2)

Any occurrence of Nothing is automatically removed in a list:

Replace an element of a list with Nothing to remove it:

Scope  (2)

Nothing is removed wherever it appears in a list:

Nothing is not removed from heads other than List:

Generalizations & Extensions  (1)

When Nothing appears as a head, it reduces any expression to Nothing:

Applications  (1)

Delete lines from a plot, leaving only isolated points:

Properties & Relations  (3)

Nothing is removed during the standard evaluation process:

Remove primes from a list by replacing them with Nothing:

Delete the primes with a pattern:

Select the non-primes:

Nothing will only disappear inside lists:

An empty Sequence[] will evaporate inside any head except those with special attributes:

Possible Issues  (1)

Nothing is removed as part of standard evaluation, so it is kept in held expressions:

When the Hold is released, Nothing is removed:

Wolfram Research (2015), Nothing, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Nothing.html (updated 2016).

Text

Wolfram Research (2015), Nothing, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Nothing.html (updated 2016).

CMS

Wolfram Language. 2015. "Nothing." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2016. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Nothing.html.

APA

Wolfram Language. (2015). Nothing. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Nothing.html

BibTeX

@misc{reference.wolfram_2025_nothing, author="Wolfram Research", title="{Nothing}", year="2016", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Nothing.html}", note=[Accessed: 15-August-2025]}

BibLaTeX

@online{reference.wolfram_2025_nothing, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={Nothing}, year={2016}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Nothing.html}, note=[Accessed: 15-August-2025]}