aren't

American  

[ahrnt, ahr-uhnt] / ɑrnt, ˈɑr ənt /

1. contraction of are not.

2. contraction of am not (used interrogatively).

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aren't British  

/ ɑːnt /

contraction

1. are not

2. informal (used in interrogative sentences) am not

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Usage

The social unacceptability of ain't, the historical contraction of am not, has created a gap in the pattern of verbal contractions. I'm not, the alternative to I ain't, has no corresponding interrogative form except ain't I. In questions, ain't I is often avoided by the use of aren't I: I'm right, aren't I? Aren't I on the list? This aren't is simply a different outcome of the same historical development that yielded ain't, but the fact that it is spelled and pronounced like the contraction of are not (as in You are staying, aren't you? ) apparently gives it, for some, an acceptability that ain't lacks. The use of aren't I is objected to by others because a declarative counterpart, I aren't, does not exist. Many speakers, however, prefer aren't I to the uncontracted, rather formal am I not. See also ain't, contraction.

Etymology

Origin of aren't

As contraction of am not, a doublet of ain't (without raising of the vowel), spelling aren't by r-less speakers; ar was later substituted for the long a by speakers who regularly pronounce pre-consonantal r

Example Sentences

If the public perceives that technology is too effective and hunters aren’t “showing respect for the animal, that’s not socially acceptable” and will create a backlash, Schoonen says.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

It’s true that the Cybertruck has problems that aren’t shared with other EVs.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

U.S. stocks aren’t behaving as if the cease-fire with Iran is slipping quietly away amid small-boat attacks, cruise missiles, and drone strikes.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

“Fields with the lowest unemployment aren’t necessarily the highest-paying or most glamorous. They’re the ones with embedded pipelines,” said Indeed’s Puri.

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

“Aw, Mama,” I said, “people aren’t going to think we’re starving to death just because I have a few holes in my britches. Every boy in the hills tears holes in his britches.”

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls