aren't
American-
contraction of are not.
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contraction of am not (used interrogatively).
contraction
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are not
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informal (used in interrogative sentences) am not
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It's better than anything else... There aren't many jobs in Kabul," said the 21-year-old, above the din of diggers.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
Zoë Billingham, a former independent police inspector who pushed for reforms on how violence against women in girls is policed, said that "too often in cases like this the dots aren't being joined up".
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
“Establish Florida domicile first, cleanly and provably. Then time the big withdrawals for after that’s done. The home sale and the distribution strategy aren’t two decisions — they’re one decision with two moving parts.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026
Small talk is good for us, even if we aren’t very good at it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
There aren’t a lot of perfect moments in life.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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.
