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.
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
"They wanted to show there was a different perspective, that he needn't expect complete support for his views."
From BBC • Feb. 8, 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
Yet the long-term trajectory for stocks suggests that investors needn’t wait for clarity before putting money to work.
From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026
‘To Waymeet, that’ll be,’ said Cotton, ‘to fetch more of the gang. Well, it’s fifteen mile each way. We needn’t trouble about them just yet.’
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
