never
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈnɛv.ə(ɹ)/
ipa: /ˈnɛv.ɚ/
rhymes: -ɛvə(ɹ)
Forms: form: neuer
form: ne'er
form: neva
form: nev'r
form: nevah
form: nevuh
Etymology: From Middle English nevere, navere, nævere, from Old English nǣfre (“never”), equivalent to ne + ever.
Senses: examples: text: I finally finished, and I never do wanna do it again.
text: We were at the same college, but happened never to meet.
text: I'll never not like you.
text: Why should I love this Gentleman? Tis odds / He never will affect me;
ref: 1613–1614 (date written), John Fletcher, William Shak[e]speare, The Two Noble Kinsmen: […], London: […] Tho[mas] Cotes, for Iohn Waterson; […], published 1634, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii, page 4:
text: In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.
ref: 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
text: "I never thought you were so fond of Mr. Phillips that you'd require two handkerchiefs to dry your tears just because he was going away," said Marilla.
ref: 1908, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, Chapter XXI: A New Departure in Flavorings:
text: Never speak of the symptoms of your patient in his presence, unless questioned by the doctor, whose orders you are always to obey implicitly.
ref: 1919, B. G. Jefferis, J. L. Nichols, Searchlights on Health: Sensible Rules for the Nurse:
text: "You don't believe the Soviet Union is going to reduce its defense budget, do you?" Boggs asked.
Premier Chou didn't wait for the translator to finish. "Never, never, never," he replied in perfect English.
ref: 1980, Gerald Ford, “Boyhood—and Beyond”, in A Time to Heal, New York: Berkley Books, →ISBN, page 95:
glosses: At no time; on no occasion; in no circumstance.
examples: text: There is no jewel, be it of never so rich a price, which I set before this jewel: I mean your love.
ref: 1601 November 30, Elizabeth I of England, Elizabeth I's Farewell Speech:
text: "He is just what a young man ought to be," said she, "sensible, good-humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners!--so much ease, with such perfect good breeding!"
ref: 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], Pride and Prejudice: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:
text: 1908, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, Chapter XIII: The Delights of Anticipation,
I never saw such an infatuated man.
glosses: Not at any other time; not on any other occasion; not previously.
examples: text: The police say I stole the car, but I never did it.
text: You said you were going to mow the lawn today. – I never!
text: "You're never going to break in?"
"This instant, if you'll, help me; in five or ten minutes, if you won't."
ref: 1905, E. W. Horning, A Thief in the Night:
text: Well I looked at Jay and I said "hey, did you hear what I just heard?"
He nodded his head and his face turned red and he never said a word
ref: 1976, “C.B. Savage”, performed by Rod Hart:
glosses: Negative particle (used to negate verbs in the simple past tense; also used absolutely).
Synonyms: word: at latter Lammas
word: at no time
word: in the reign of Queen Dick
word: ne'er
word: never
word: never ever
word: not while pussy's a cat
word: on the second Tuesday of the week
word: sine die
word: when Hell freezes over
word: when pigs fly
word: when two Sundays come together
word: when two Sundays meet
Hyponyms: word: never again
word: nevermore
word: no more
word: unprecedentedly
word: unprecedently
Derived terms: a barking dog never bites
a dumb priest never got a parish
a magician never reveals his secrets
a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor
a watched kettle never boils
a watched pot never boils
a watched pot never boils over
a wild goose never laid a tame egg
a woman's work is never done
barking dogs never bite
beauty never boiled the pot
better late than never
cheaters never prosper
cheats never prosper
Deadly Never-Green
do a never
faint heart never won fair lady
first of never
I have never
ill-gotten gains never prosper
I never did
I never miss
I thought you'd never ask
it never rains but it pours
it never rains but that it pours
it's never too late to mend
I've never heard it called that before
lightning never strikes twice
lightning never strikes twice in the same place
misfortunes never come alone
misfortunes never come singly
nearly never bulled a cow
nearly never won the race
never a dull moment
never again
never ask the barber if you need a haircut
never been kissed
never change a running system
never-do-well
never-dying
never eat shredded wheat
never eat soggy waffles
never eat soggy wheat
neverending
never-ending
never event
never ever
never ever have I
neverfade
never fear
never fight a land war in Asia
never have I ever
never in a million years
never in a month of Sundays
never judge a book by its cover
neverland
never look a gift horse in the mouth
never-married
never meet your heroes
never mind
nevermind
nevermore
neverness
never-never
never-never land
never-nude
never put off until tomorrow what you can do today
never say die
never-say-die
never say never
never sick at sea
never-smoker
never smoker
neversmoker
never start a land war in Asia
never-sweat
neverthelater
nevertheless
neverthemore
never the twain shall meet
never the wiser
neverthriving
never Trumper
never-Trumper
never trust me
Neveruary
never-was
never-waser
never-was'er
never-was-er
never-wasser
never waste a crisis
neverwet
never-would-be
never-wozzer
never you mind
Nevuary
now or never
now-or-never
one should never meet one's heroes
on the never never
September that never ended
the apple never falls far from the tree
the camera never lies
the course of true love never did run smooth
the fox may grow grey but never good
the Internet never forgets
the wolf may lose his teeth but never his nature
tomorrow never comes
watched toast never burns
welcome-home-husband-though-never-so-drunk
wonders never cease
you are never too old to learn
you'll never guess
you never know
you never know what you've got till it's gone
you never miss the water till the well runs dry
you never miss the water until the well runs dry
you're never too old to learn
Related terms: word: a cold day in Hell
word: February 31
word: Greek calends
word: Neveruary
word: first of never
word: never in a million years
word: never in a month of Sundays
word: frequency