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ne'er

American

[nair] / nɛər /

adverb

Literary.

contraction of never.

ne'er British

/ nɛə /

adverb

a poetic contraction of never

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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ne'er

One high-level supervisor said Koutris had a reputation as a “lazy ne’er do well.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2022

Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, is still a man plucked from Earth in the ’80s to live a ne’er do well life in space before cleaning up his act.

From The Verge ● Oct. 27, 2021

Afternoon and evening activities in Bryant Park drew crowds that chased the ne’er do wells.

From New York Times ● Apr. 16, 2021

The data is an almost literal gold mine for identity thieves and other ne’er do wells.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 20, 2019

“I ne’er could make it,” she was saying.

From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023