51Թ

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View synonyms for

never

[ nev-er ]

adverb

  1. not ever; at no time:

    Such an idea never occurred to me.

  2. not at all; absolutely not:

    never mind;

    This will never do.

  3. to no extent or degree:

    He was never the wiser for his experience.



never

/ ˈɛə /

adverb

  1. at no time; not ever
  2. certainly not; by no means; in no case
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

interjection

  1. Alsowell I never! surely not!
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Usage

In informal speech and writing, never can be used instead of not with the simple past tenses of certain verbs for emphasis ( I never said that; I never realized how clever he was ), but this usage should be avoided in serious writing
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of never1

First recorded before 900; from Middle English, from Old English ǣڰ, equivalent to ne “not” + ǣڰ ever ( def ); neither ( def ), nought ( def )
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of never1

Old English ǣڰ, from ne not + æڰ ever
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Idioms and Phrases

  1. never mind, don't bother; don't concern yourself.
  2. never cease to amaze. never cease to amaze.

More idioms and phrases containing never

  • better late than never
  • it never rains but it pours
  • lightning never strikes twice
  • now or never
  • watched pot never boils
  • wonders will never cease
  • you never can tell
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He is a manager who respects structure, but is never afraid to speak his mind.

From

I never baked mayonnaise into cakes or slathered it on chicken before roasting.

From

And while losing money never feels good, financial experts say investors should pause before bailing out.

From

Why it should infect nations that are prosperous, ostensibly well educated, and with civil societies that have supposedly developed beyond tribal superstition is a mystery that has never been explained.

From

"That generation - when you consider what they went through for us to have the lifestyle that we've got today, they deserve the recognition which a lot of them never got," he said.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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