needn't
AmericanUsage
See contraction.
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.
One needn’t be an expert in autism to realize that the condition is not something like adolescent anxiety, which can be cured by reassurance and self-confidence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
The setting needn’t be explicitly Norway, but the stultifying strictures of this middle-class world must be in place for Ibsen’s vision to have its detonating effect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
"There's been such a lot of pressure that they needn't have had at their age," she added.
From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026
Those skeptical of the sway the public has over the Oscars needn’t look any further than back at that supporting actress category.
From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2026
He said, 'Look, you needn't think I wanted to come here, you needn't think I like it.'
From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill
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.
