nary
Americanadjective
adverb
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.
Vocabulary lists containing nary
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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The Color Purple
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The Mysterious Benedict Society
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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.
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
Some pestos throughout Italy also lean more toward a romesco-style sauce, using tomatoes or roasted peppers with nary a green in sight.
From Salon • Apr. 25, 2025
Follow award-winning food writer Andrews and chef-proprietor Clark as they start at the latter’s Dad’s Luncheonette in Half Moon Bay and wind up in Ventura County, missing nary a delicious stop along the way.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2025
The reporters were seated on the main stage and understood nary a word of his speech, although the Wall Street Journal guy faked it by writing stuff down.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2024
With beaming faces and nary a backward glance, they followed Jackson out.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
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.
