Flannery O'Connor
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Nary, most often used in the phrase "nary a" to mean "not a single," is an 18th-century alteration of the adjectival phrase "ne'er a," in which ne'er is a contraction of never. That contraction dates to the 13th century, and the word it abbreviates is even older: never can be traced back to Old English nǣfre, a combination of ne ("not" or "no") and ǣfre ("ever"). Old English ne also combined with ā ("always") to give us nā, the Old English ancestor of our no. Ā, from the Latin aevum ("age" or "lifetime") and Greek aiōn ("age"), is related to the English adverb aye, meaning "always, continually, or ever." This aye (pronounced to rhyme with say) is unrelated to the more familiar aye (pronounced to rhyme with sigh) used as a synonym of yes.
Examples of nary in a Sentence
Daisy Shaw-Ellis, Vogue, 25 Apr. 2025
There’s nary a false note across the sequel’s 110-minute runtime.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Executives and talent kept the focus on live sports and news, all of the men wore suits and there was nary a mention of a subscription service.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2025
In the kitchen, there is nary a utensil that is more unsung than a trusty knife.
—Izzy Baskette, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Nary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nary. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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