Meanings
alternative from thin air
- idiomaticnot comparableFrom nowhere or nothing; from a non-existent or unknown source.
They don't seem to want to work to earn a living. They think they can make money out of thin air.
1 more example
"The criminal cases against Thanathorn show the military government's contempt for the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful dissent. It's a glaring example of how draconian laws are pulled out of thin air and arbitrarily enforced to punish the prominent opposition leader," he said.
2019 April 6, Caleb Quinley, “Thailand: Anti-military party leader faces sedition charges”, in Al Jazeera, Doha: Al Jazeera, retrieved 06 Apr 2019Synonyms: out of nowhere
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbFrom nowhere or nothing; from a non-existent or unknown source.
More synonyms by meaning
adverbwithout warning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese 無中生有 /无中生有
- 無中生有 /无中生有 (wúzhōng-shēngyǒu)from non-existent resource
Danish ud af den blå luft
- ud af den blå luftfrom non-existent resource
Finnish tyhjästä
- tyhjästäfrom non-existent resource
French de nulle part
- de nulle partfrom non-existent resource
German aus dem Nichts
- aus dem Nichtsfrom non-existent resource
Italian fuori dal cilindro, dal nulla
- fuori dal cilindrofrom non-existent resource
- dal nullafrom non-existent resource
Polish z sufitu
- z sufitufrom non-existent resource
Portuguese do nada
- do nadafrom non-existent resource
Russian из воздуха
- из воздуха (iz vozduxa)from non-existent resource
Spanish de la nada
- de la nadafrom non-existent resource
Turkish yoktan
- yoktanfrom non-existent resource
Cite this entry
out of thin air. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20thin%20air
“out of thin air.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20thin%20air. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “out of thin air,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/out%20of%20thin%20air.
Source: out of thin air on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.