Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Never
Nev′er
(nĕv′ẽr)
, adv.
[AS.
nǣfre
; ne
not, no + ǣfre
ever.] 1.
Not ever; not at any time; at no time, whether past, present, or future.
Shak.
Death still draws nearer,
never
seeming near. Pope.
2.
In no degree; not in the least; not.
Whosoever has a friend to guide him, may carry his eyes in another man’s head, and yet see
never
the worse. South.
And he answered him to
never
a word. Matt. xxvii. 14.
☞ Never is much used in composition with present participles to form adjectives, as in never-ceasing, never-dying, never-ending, never-fading, never-failing, etc., retaining its usual signification.
Never a deal
, not a bit.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
– Never so
, as never before; more than at any other time, or in any other circumstances; especially; particularly; – now often expressed or replaced by
ever so
.Ask me
never so
much dower and gift. Gen. xxxiv. 12.
A fear of battery, . . . though
never so
well grounded, is no duress. Blackstone.
Webster 1828 Edition
Never
NEVER
, adv.1.
Not ever; not at any time; at no time. It refers to the past or the future. This man was never at Calcutta; he will never be there.2.
It has a particular use in the following sentences.Ask me never so much dower and gift. Genesis 34.
Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely. Psalm 58.
A fear of battery-though never so well grounded, is no duress.
This is a genuine English use of never, found in our Saxon authors, and it ought to be retained. Ask me so much dower as never was done; that is, dower to any extent. The practice of using ever in such phrases, is corrupt. It not only destroys the force but the propriety of the phrase.
3.
In no degree; not.Whoever has a friend to guide him, may carry his eyes in another mans head and yet see never the worse.
4.
It is used for not. He answered him never a word; that is, not ever. This use is not common.5.
It is much used in composition; as in never-ending, never-failing, never-dying, never-ceasing, never-fading; but in all such compounds, never retains its true meaning.Definition 2024
never
never
English
Alternative forms
Adverb
never (not comparable)
- At no time; on no occasion; in no circumstance.
- 1634, William Shakespeare, John Fletcher, The Two Noble Kinsmen, Act 2, Scene 4,
- Why should I love this Gentleman? Tis odds / He never will affect me;
- 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 1, in The Celebrity:
- 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.
- 1908, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, Chapter XXI: A New Departure in Flavorings,
- "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.
- 1919, B. G. Jefferis, J. L. Nichols, Searchlights on Health: Sensible Rules for the Nurse,
- Never speak of the symptoms of your patient in his presence, unless questioned by the doctor, whose orders you are always to obey implicitly.
- I finally finished, and I never want to do that again.
- I repeated the test a hundred times, and never saw a positive result.
- I will never tell.
- 1634, William Shakespeare, John Fletcher, The Two Noble Kinsmen, Act 2, Scene 4,
- Not at any other time; not on any other occasion; not previously.
- 1601 Novenber 30, Elizabeth I of England, Elizabeth I's Farewell Speech,
- There is no jewel, be it of never so rich a price, which I set before this jewel: I mean your love.
- 1813, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 4,
- "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!"
- 1908, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, Chapter XIII: The Delights of Anticipation,
- I never saw such an infatuated man.
- 1601 Novenber 30, Elizabeth I of England, Elizabeth I's Farewell Speech,
- (colloquial) Negative particle (used to negate verbs in the simple past tense; also used absolutely).
- The police say I stole the car, but I never did it.
- You said you were going to mow the lawn today. – I never!
Antonyms
Derived terms
Terms derived from never
Translations
at no time
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Statistics
Anagrams
Romansch
Alternative forms
Etymology
From neiv or from Vulgar Latin *nivicō, *nivicāre < *nivō, nivāre, from Latin nix, nivis, from Proto-Indo-European *nígʷʰs, *snígʷʰs (“snow”).
Verb
never