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.
Reaffirming the act’s antidiscrimination mission while clarifying that courts can’t mandate proportional outcomes needn’t be viewed as a partisan ask.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 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
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
He couldn't say anything but then he didn't want to say anything, and he knew he needn't say anything.
From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis
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.
