never

[ nev-er ]

/ ˈnɛv ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR never ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb

not ever; at no time: Such an idea never occurred to me.

not at all; absolutely not: never mind; This will never do.

to no extent or degree: He was never the wiser for his experience.

RELATED WORDS

nevermore

Nearby words

nevadan, nevado del ruiz, neve, nevelson, nevelson, louise, never, never a dull moment, never fear, never give a sucker an even break, never had it so good, one, never hear the end of

Idioms

never mind, don't bother; don't concern yourself.

Origin of never

before 900; Middle English; Old English nǣfre, equivalent to ne not + ǣfre ever

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for never

The simple, awful truth is that free speech has never been particularly popular in America.
How the PC Police Threaten Free Speech|Nick Gillespie|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He looks like a man who should have had kids, but now never will.
The Muslim Cop Killed by Terrorists|Michael Daly|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In an email exchange a friend said many had repeated this same succinct review but they could never elaborate.
‘Empire’ Review: Hip-Hop Musical Chairs with an Insane Soap Opera Twist|Judnick Mayard|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Meanwhile, almost exactly 30 years after the trial, the judge left his home to board a steamboat and was never heard from again.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

In the end, I find it never fails to modernize even the most dramatic things.
‘Empire’ Review: Hip-Hop Musical Chairs with an Insane Soap Opera Twist|Judnick Mayard|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Now I had never thought of such a thing until he suggested it.
The Story of Scraggles|George Wharton James
I have never been in any place in which the relations with Moslems have been so easy and friendly.
Journeys in Persia and Kurdistan, Volume II (of 2)|Isabella L. Bird
Never could he look to the old gentleman for a friendly word, or a bit of help over a hard financial place again.
The Corner House Girls Growing Up|Grace Brooks Hill
Had that not been the case Bandy-legs could never have fallen down through it to land in the fireplace below.
With Trapper Jim in the North Woods|Lawrence J. Leslie
I think you will never get any more of your money back at all.'
The Orange Girl|Walter Besant

British Dictionary definitions for never

never

/ (ˈnɛvə) /

adverb, sentence substitute

at no time; not ever

certainly not; by no means; in no case

interjection

Also: well I never! surely not!

Word Origin for never

Old English nǣfre, from ne not + æfre ever

usage

In informal speech and writing, never can be used instead of not with the simple past tenses of certain verbs for emphasis (I never said that; I never realized how clever he was), but this usage should be avoided in serious writing

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

Word Origin and History for never

never

adv.

Old English næfre "never," compound of ne "not, no" (from PIE root *ne- "no, not;" see un-) + æfre "ever" (see ever). Early used as an emphatic form of not (as still in never mind). Old English, unlike its modern descendant, had the useful custom of attaching ne to words to create their negatives, as in nabban for na habban "not to have."

Italian giammai, French jamais, Spanish jamas are from Latin iam "already" + magis "more;" thus literally "at any time, ever," originally with a negative, but this has been so thoroughly absorbed in sense as to be formally omitted.

Phrase never say die "don't despair" is from 1818. Never Never Land is first attested in Australia as a name for the uninhabited northern part of Queensland (1884), perhaps so called because anyone who had gone there once never wished to return. Meaning "imaginary, illusory or utopian place" first attested 1900 in American English.

Idioms and Phrases with never

never

In addition to the idioms beginning with never

never a dull moment
never fear
never give a sucker an even break
never had it so good, one
never hear the end of
never mind
never miss a trick
never put off until tomorrow
never say die
never say never

also see:

better late than never
it never rains but it pours
lightning never strikes twice
now or never
watched pot never boils
wonders will never cease
you never can tell

never

adverb

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of never

Examples from the Web for never

British Dictionary definitions for never

never

adverb, sentence substitute

interjection

Word Origin for never

usage

Word Origin and History for never

never

Idioms and Phrases with never

never