never

[nev-er]

adverb

1. not ever; at no time.

   Such an idea never occurred to me.

2. not at all; absolutely not.

   never mind;

   This will never do.

3. to no extent or degree.

   He was never the wiser for his experience.

never

/ ˈnɛvə /

adverb

1. at no time; not ever

2. certainly not; by no means; in no case

interjection

1. Also: well I never!. surely not!

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of never¹

First recorded before 900; from Middle English, from Old English nǣfre, equivalent to ne “not” + ǣfre ever ( def. ); neither ( def. ), nought ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of never¹

Old English nǣfre, from ne not + æfre _ever

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. never cease to amaze. never cease to amaze.

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

More idioms and phrases containing never

• 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

Example Sentences

Before “The King of Queens” bowed in 2007, Stiller remarked, “This was an opportunity for me, for the first time, to test myself, because I never saw myself as more than just a decent actor.”

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"It may be days, it may be months, it may be years, or we may never see her again," says Santoyo, one of Maria's seven children, of whom the youngest is just six years old.

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It’s what some might call the edible version of quiet luxury: rich, yes, but never flashy.

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Fatima Al-Wardi, a 30-year-old Iraqi Muslim who runs a humanitarian project in Baghdad, had never seen the sea before the voyage.

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New Zealand's batsmen never got a chance to chase, leaving just two matches to decide the series -- in Christchurch again on Monday and Auckland on Thursday.

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