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.
Now something will have to give, but it needn’t be reliable power or America’s AI ambitions.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 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
"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
“You needn’t feel wicked, my child! You had no winter things and got the simplest with your own hard earnings,” said Mrs. March with a look that warmed Jo’s heart.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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.
