This was intended as a meme but is actually a good representation of what "Null" is. In C#, when you declare string s = "My shit"; it means that "s" is a reference to a memory location that holds the data "My shit". string s = null; means that the reference "s" exists but it's not pointing to any object, as in it holds nothing. Answer from abd53 on reddit.com
null
/nŭl/
adjective
- Having no legal force; invalid. render a contract null and void.
- Of no consequence, effect, or value; insignificant.
- Amounting to nothing; absent or nonexistent. a null result.
Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › dictionary › null
NULL Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
February 24, 2026 - The meaning of NULL is having no legal or binding force : invalid. How to use null in a sentence. Did you know?
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Null
Null - Wikipedia
February 23, 2026 - Null character, the zero-valued ASCII character, also designated by NUL, often used as a terminator, separator or filler.
MDN Web Docs
developer.mozilla.org › en-US › docs › Glossary › Null
Null - Glossary | MDN
In computer science, a null value represents a reference that points, generally intentionally, to a nonexistent or invalid object or address. The meaning of a null reference varies among language implementations.
What is Null?
This was intended as a meme but is actually a good representation of what "Null" is. In C#, when you declare string s = "My shit"; it means that "s" is a reference to a memory location that holds the data "My shit". string s = null; means that the reference "s" exists but it's not pointing to any object, as in it holds nothing. More on reddit.com
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July 5, 2024Why the hate for null?
Null pointer exceptions are annoying but so is having to constantly check every object Very few values in your program actually need to be nullable, so you only need to check those places where they are. And you should be checking those places anyway! Edit: Note that you might be missing the important fact that you need some way for the compiler to remember that you've done the check. You can do this by pattern matching or flow-sensitive typing, for example. But yeah, this means you don't have to keep going back to check, which would be super annoying! It's also a shame to see the level of negativity in the other comments. It's really useful to hear perspectives like this, because it helps us see how other people might misunderstand what we are doing, and can help improve our explanations. Let's be a little friendlier please! :) More on reddit.com
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September 3, 2018What does “null” mean and why is it here
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March 21, 2023I’m done with null.. what now?
Cause skulk around in low sec with me. Sometimes I hunt, sometimes im hunted, but I'm never bored.
More on reddit.com 103
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December 9, 2023Videos
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Qué es null y cómo evitar errores con él? #shorts - YouTube
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Completely Get Rid of Null Using This Technique - YouTube
Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary › english › null
NULL | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary
2 weeks ago - NULL meaning: 1. having no legal force: 2. with no value or effect: 3. (of a set or matrix) containing nothing…. Learn more.
Dictionary.com
dictionary.com › browse › null
NULL Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
NULL definition: without value, effect, consequence, or significance. See examples of null used in a sentence.
MDN Web Docs
developer.mozilla.org › en-US › docs › Web › JavaScript › Reference › Operators › null
null - JavaScript | MDN
The null keyword refers to the null primitive value, which represents the intentional absence of any object value.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnprogramming › what is null?
r/learnprogramming on Reddit: What is Null?
July 5, 2024 -
So I use C# and I often see many devs use null.
What and which kind of situation do you use this variable?
I am reading c# guide on programming book and I am on Clearing memory now and I haven't encountered null yet. Should I be worried?
Top answer 1 of 18
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This was intended as a meme but is actually a good representation of what "Null" is. In C#, when you declare string s = "My shit"; it means that "s" is a reference to a memory location that holds the data "My shit". string s = null; means that the reference "s" exists but it's not pointing to any object, as in it holds nothing.
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15
NULL is nothing. It means theres nothing there. Often its just a place holder before something is there. Say u have a bunch of variables of animals. U might set them to NULL before u know what they are. Then u might check if they are NULL before u add an animal to them. Things are initialized as NULL.
Vocabulary.com
vocabulary.com › dictionary › null
Null - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com
Null means having no value; in other words null is zero, like if you put so little sugar in your coffee that it’s practically null. Null also means invalid, or having no binding force.
Lexicon Learning
lexiconlearning.com › word › Word.php
NULL | Definition and Meaning
NULL meaning is - Having no value, effect, or existence; invalid or meaningless.
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Null_(mathematics)
Null (mathematics) - Wikipedia
February 4, 2026 - In mathematics, the word null (from German: null meaning "zero", which is from Latin: nullus meaning "none") is often associated with the concept of zero, or with the concept of nothing. It is used in varying contexts from "having zero members in a set" (e.g., null set) to "having a value of ...
Oxford English Dictionary
oed.com › dictionary › null_adj
null, adj. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary
There are 13 meanings listed in OED's entry for the adjective null, one of which is labelled obsolete.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/programminglanguages › why the hate for null?
r/ProgrammingLanguages on Reddit: Why the hate for null?
September 3, 2018 -
Look, I get it: Null pointer exceptions are annoying but so is having to constantly check every object . against null. Is this the new religion after OOP and FP are being phased out? Null just means that the object is not initialized. It's useful to indicate such a state. If you just force yourself to initialize every object to some empty value then you're going to end up passing around empty strings - but wait, an empty string might intentionally be empty or it might indicate "please fill me".
Because I can already tell you what massive insights will come out soon: That null is actually not a mistake at all, it's useful. And the most ironic part about all this? These same people who hate on null are loving nullable types. Litearlly just types that *can be null but you just have to check every time before you use them*. So there is literally no difference except it forces you on a compiler level to check for null every time you use it. When I realized this I thought I was in dreamland, how can these people worship this meaningless little feature so much, crazy. It's literally the same as having null in the language except with a tiny tiny "advantage" that the compiler forces you to check. Which 99.9% of the time, you dont want to be forced because maybe you know implicitly and you dont care [right now].
Top answer 1 of 11
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Null pointer exceptions are annoying but so is having to constantly check every object Very few values in your program actually need to be nullable, so you only need to check those places where they are. And you should be checking those places anyway! Edit: Note that you might be missing the important fact that you need some way for the compiler to remember that you've done the check. You can do this by pattern matching or flow-sensitive typing, for example. But yeah, this means you don't have to keep going back to check, which would be super annoying! It's also a shame to see the level of negativity in the other comments. It's really useful to hear perspectives like this, because it helps us see how other people might misunderstand what we are doing, and can help improve our explanations. Let's be a little friendlier please! :)
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Null makes unsound type systems, and is basically a kludge for languages that cannot into algebraic types. Null just means that the object is not initialized What is “not initialized” semantic-wise? If you just force yourself to initialize every object to some empty value then you're going to end up passing around empty strings Wrong. These same people who hate on null are loving nullable types. Nullable types is a yet another kludge for languages without algebraic data types. But at least it's a sound kludge. Which 99.9% of the time, you dont want to be forced because maybe you know implicitly and you dont care C programmers “know implicitly” all the time, that's why their code is so vulnerable. Maybe it's time to recognise that people always make errors?
Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › thesaurus › null
NULL Synonyms: 135 Similar and Opposite Words | Merriam-Webster Thesaurus
1 week ago - Synonyms for NULL: void, invalid, null and void, illegal, inoperative, nugatory, nonbinding, bad; Antonyms of NULL: valid, good, legal, binding, working, worthy, valuable, useful
Quora
quora.com › What-exactly-is-NULL
What exactly is NULL? - Quora
Answer (1 of 25): It means nothing. Most literally. It means that it has no meaning. It can best be understood when dealing with dates and numbers. Alpha-numeric NULL is awkward and not really accurate, as it differentiates between a blank string and the lack of value represented by NULL. With ...
Wiktionary
en.wiktionary.org › wiki › null
null - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Since no date of birth was entered for the patient, his age is null.
Redis
redis.io › docs › latest › develop
Develop with Redis | Docs
{"categories":null,"description":"Learn how to develop with Redis","duplicateOf":"head:data-ai-metadata","location":"body","title":"Develop with Redis","tableOfContents":{"sections":[]},"codeExamples":[]}
Collins Dictionary
collinsdictionary.com › us › english-language-learning › null
NULL - Definition & Translations | Collins English Dictionary
● adjective: null and void: nul et non avenu (nulle et non avenue) [...] See entry English-Spanish
Wolfram Language
reference.wolfram.com › language › ref › Null.html
Null—Wolfram Documentation
Null is a symbol used to indicate the absence of an expression or a result. When it appears as a complete output expression, no output is printed.