never mind

idiomatic phrase

1

—used to tell someone not to be concerned about or give attention to something or someone

Never mind your mistake: it wasn't serious.

So you made a little mistake! Never mind (about that): it wasn't serious.

'Well, it is a little awkward, for I have a business already,' said I. 'Oh, never mind about that, Mr. Wilson!' said Vincent Spaulding. 'I should be able to look after that for you.'

—Arthur Conan Doyle

He would tell Blossom that she might go back to her aunt and never mind about him—he would do very well by himself and he did not blame her in the least.

—Lucy Maud Montgomery

2

—used to say that something previously mentioned or asked can be disregarded

Do you know where my keys are? Oh, never mind. Here they are.

3

—used to refer to something that is even less likely or possible than something else being mentioned or described

I can barely understand it, never mind explain it.

With this knee I can hardly walk, never mind run.

Never mind mastering a second language or a subject syllabus, most us have enough difficulty remembering the orders for a round of drinks at the pub.

—David Robson

Synonyms

• let alone
• much less
• still less

Examples of never mind in a Sentence

I have a hard enough time getting out of bed before sunrise, never mind getting to work so early.

Recent Examples on the Web

The merch is bountiful, with over 100 items currently listed on the Disney Store website, never mind the knock-offs. —Barry Levitt, Time, 21 May 2025

Where things stand now The cost of one year in college for one child — never mind two or more — is always eye-popping. —Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 18 May 2025

But there may not even be enough inventory to go around at all, never mind multiples. —Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 9 May 2025

The Legislature went home Friday without agreeing on a budget for the coming year, never mind an overhaul of the tax that provides the bulk of local government budgets, paying for public safety, schools, roads and parks. —Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for never mind

• countersigned
• disinclined
• humankind
• interlined
• intertwined
• mastermind
• misaligned
• nonaligned
• predefined
• realigned
• reassigned
• recombined