aren't
American-
contraction of are not.
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contraction of am not (used interrogatively).
contraction
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are not
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informal (used in interrogative sentences) am not
Usage
The social unacceptability of ain't, the historical contraction of am not, has created a gap in the pattern of verbal contractions. I'm not, the alternative to I ain't, has no corresponding interrogative form except ain't I. In questions, ain't I is often avoided by the use of aren't I: I'm right, aren't I? Aren't I on the list? This aren't is simply a different outcome of the same historical development that yielded ain't, but the fact that it is spelled and pronounced like the contraction of are not (as in You are staying, aren't you? ) apparently gives it, for some, an acceptability that ain't lacks. The use of aren't I is objected to by others because a declarative counterpart, I aren't, does not exist. Many speakers, however, prefer aren't I to the uncontracted, rather formal am I not. See also ain't, contraction.
Etymology
Origin of aren't
As contraction of am not, a doublet of ain't (without raising of the vowel), spelling aren't by r-less speakers; ar was later substituted for the long a by speakers who regularly pronounce pre-consonantal r
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.
"Why aren't you playing basketball?" was directed at Armstrong, then a 25-year-old defender, who was about to become the first US-born black player to represent the United States at a World Cup.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
The Knicks, of course, aren’t celebrating a 2-0 series lead.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
Still, at least for now, the low inventories aren’t creating problems for U.S. oil producers and consumers, some experts say.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 6, 2026
But if health risks are the primary concern of summer sporting events on a warming planet, they aren’t the only ones.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
“Ducky, Eleanor. I hope the studio thinks the same and throws me a contract, so my scenes aren’t all so itty-bitty.”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
