never
NEHV-uh
Never (adv) means At no time; not on any occasion. Example: “I have never been to Japan.”
adv
1
At no time; not on any occasion.
"I have never been to Japan."
"She said she would never lie to him again."
"My grandfather never learned to drive, so he always took the train."
2
Not at all, used for emphasis in a past statement.
"He never even looked at me during the meeting."
"I never said that, and you know it!"
"She never turned up, and nobody had any idea why."
How to use never
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishNot ever, at no point in time.
Common pairings
never again
never mind
better late than never
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I have _____ been to Japan.
Etymology
From Old English nǣfre, formed from ne ("not") plus ǣfre ("ever").
Synonyms
View more →
not ever
on no occasion
not once
under no circumstances
by no means
at latter Lammas
at no time
in the reign of Queen Dick
ne'er
never ever
not while pussy's a cat
on the second Tuesday of the week
Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for never
See all rhymes for never →Frequently asked questions
What does “never” mean?
The word “never” means at no time; not on any occasion. In plain terms, not ever, at no point in time.
How do you pronounce “never”?
“Never” is pronounced NEHV-uh (/ˈnɛv.ɚ/ in IPA).
How do you use “never” in a sentence?
Here is “never” used in a sentence: “I have never been to Japan.”
What is another word for “never”?
Words with a similar meaning to “never” include at latter Lammas, at no time, in the reign of Queen Dick, ne'er, never ever and not while pussy's a cat.
What is the opposite of “never”?
The opposite of “never” — its antonyms — are all the time, always, consistently, constantly and continually.
What part of speech is “never”?
“Never” is an adverb.
Where does the word “never” come from?
The word “never” comes from Old English. From Old English nǣfre, formed from ne ("not") plus ǣfre ("ever").
Is “never” a common word?
“Never” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
What is the difference between never and ever?
'Never' means at no time and is itself negative, as in 'I never eat meat.' 'Ever' means at any time and appears mainly in questions and negatives, as in 'Have you ever been?' or 'nobody ever calls.' Using both together, as in 'not ever,' also means never, just more emphatically.
What is the opposite of never?
The direct opposite is 'always,' meaning at all times or on every occasion. 'Never' sits at one end of a scale of frequency and 'always' at the other, with words like 'sometimes,' 'often,' and 'rarely' in between. 'Ever' and 'at any time' also contrast with 'never.'
Is it correct to use 'never' in a double negative?
In standard English, avoid pairing 'never' with another negative like 'don't' or 'no.' 'I didn't see nothing' should be 'I never saw anything' or 'I saw nothing.' Double negatives such as 'don't never' are common in casual or dialect speech but are considered nonstandard in formal writing.
What is an example of 'never' in a sentence?
'She never arrives late' means it does not happen on any occasion. 'I have never seen the sea' points to no time in the past up to now. 'We will never forget' stresses that something will not happen at any future point. 'Never' firmly rules out every occasion.
Example sentences
Real-world examples showing never in context, drawn from published sources. Any opinions expressed are those of the original source and do not reflect the views of FreeDict.com.
Even if he never committed to the youth camp, FlexWorks damaged his reputation and brand.
From
NBC Sports · Jul 25, 2026
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