nay

1 of 2

adverb

ˈnā 

1

old-fashioned + literary

—used to correct what has just been said by replacing a word with one that is more accurate or appropriate

The letter made him happy, nay, ecstatic.

Joseph was an elderly, nay, an old man—very old, perhaps, though hale and sinewy.

—Emily Brontë

… bodies of work that have shown themselves to be crucial to an understanding of the art—nay, the culture—of our times.

—Carter Ratcliff

2

old-fashioned : no

Only one councillor voted nay on the proposal.

I dare not say him nay. [=I dare not say no to him]

… he was young and too good-natured to say nay to any woman who wooed him.

—Samuel Butler

"Gold digging, sir?" "Nay, sir," answered I, starting, "I was merely—ahem!—merely—I say I was merely digging-round my chimney."

—Herman Melville

nay

2 of 2

noun

1

: denial, refusal

2

a

: a negative reply or vote

The nays outnumbered the ayes, and so the measure did not pass.

b

: one who votes no

He voted with the nays.

Synonyms

Adverb

• indeed
• certainly
• surely
• definitely
• truly
• even
• in fact

Noun

• no
• veto
• refusal

Examples of nay in a Sentence

Adverb

Nay, I do not wish to go.

I was angry—nay, furious—at the way they were treating that poor dog.

Noun

when the votes were tallied, it was 241 yeas and 54 nays

gave a resounding nay to the request for a mixed-company camping trip

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

And journalists who actually do their jobs are nay-saying trouble-makers who have the temerity to not rely on press releases. —Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 26 May 2012

So, coming live from my Van Down By the River, Old Prospector's pickaxe in my right hand, Cowbell in my left, Opera Man wig on my head, El Nino thundering away above it, here are the eight footballers who could, nay should, host SNL. —SI.com, 9 Oct. 2019

Noun

Even so, that only added up to 49 yay votes, versus 51 nays from the rest of the GOP conference, meaning the amendment failed. —Erin Doherty, CNBC, 30 June 2025

Also, unlike the debate over eight vs. nine conference games, the play-in weekend doesn’t have a set of yeas and nays. —Seth Emerson, New York Times, 16 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adverb and Noun

Middle English, from Old Norse nei, from ne not + ei ever — more at no, aye

First Known Use

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for nay

• ay
• bay
• bey
• brae
• cay
• chez
• dey
• dray
• fay
• fey
• flay
• fray

Kids Definition

nay

1 of 2 adverb

ˈnā 

1

: no entry 1 sense 3

2

: not merely this but also : not only so but

the letter made him happy, nay, ecstatic

nay

2 of 2 noun

1

: denial sense 1, refusal

2

a

: a negative reply or vote

b

: one who votes no