nary

American  

[nair-ee] / ˈnɛər i /

adjective

Older Use.

1. not any; no; never a.

   nary a sound.

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nary British  

/ ˈnɛərɪ /

adverb

1. dialect not; never

   nary a man was left

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Etymology

Origin of nary

First recorded in 1740–50; variant of ne'er a never a

Explanation

Use the adjective nary to mean "none," or "not a single one." If you hope for a snowy morning, when you wake up you'll be sad to see nary a snowflake. Nary is an old fashioned and informal way to say "not." You might describe your friend's sad, empty book shelves with nary a novel on them, or your bald great uncle, who has nary a hair on his head. The word has been around since the mid-1700s, from never a, which was then shortened to ne'er a, and finally nary.

Example Sentences

In two years Curt Cignetti took a woebegone college team, with nary a five-star player, to an undefeated national championship.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2026

Her production of “Ragtime,” with its sumptuous score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, had nary a weak link in a cast of characters among the most expansive in the recent annals of musicals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 26, 2025

On Saturday at the opening night of her Forum stand, Lipa — herself a British-Albanian-Kosovar atelier of sophisticated, structurally flawless disco-pop — played for nearly three hours with nary a sweat broken.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 5, 2025

But what do you call the grief that comes when the modern world leaves nary a trace of the place that raised you?

From Slate • Jul. 31, 2025

By the time we covered the walls and windows of the Clark Street room with dark fabrics and draperies, nary a ray of sunlight could penetrate inside.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan