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.
“It does seem like, in some ways, having a control situation like that can empower the leader and the company” says Paul Nary, a strategy professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
“I talked about our special effects coordinator on our show, whose name is Rob Nary, whose father was a special effects coordinator, whose grandfather was a special effects coordinator,” Wyle said.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2025
Nary a day goes by in this crowded West race without teams leapfrogging one another, all the while getting no closer to pulling away.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 22, 2024
Nary a scene passes without a sprig of pine or a light.
From Salon • Nov. 27, 2022
Nary a sign, not even an old track .
From The Black Fawn by Kjelgaard, James Arthur
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.
