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

Zendaya’s gown would not look out of place on Oscar night, never mind at lunchtime on a Monday —but this is Zendaya and this is Paris Fashion Week, so the usual rules don’t apply. —Emma Spedding, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2023

Paul’s dream-crashing tendencies turn him into a viral sensation (an outcome that arguably calls for more suspension of disbelief than his popping up in everyone’s dreams to begin with, but never mind). —Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023

What follows are way too many books to read before Groundhog Day, never mind Thanksgiving. —Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 13 Sep. 2023

First of all: Don’t accept food, never mind ancient yeast colonies, from strangers in the woods. —John Hodgman, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2023

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Lina Khan, in her famous Yale Law School paper of half a decade ago, sketched an argument by which Amazon is bad, never mind what existing antitrust law and precedent say. —Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 6 Oct. 2023

Given the meta aspects of that in Hollywood – where aging is almost as dangerous as mercenary work career-wise – the franchise had a semi-refreshing feel, never mind its limited commitment to little matters like plot and story. —Brian Lowry, CNN, 22 Sep. 2023

But on his way to the airfield, Ross, accompanied by Yin Yang, is ambushed by Gunner Jensen, a former Expendable who was fired because of his alcoholism and extreme methods (never mind that all of the Expendables’ methods are extreme) and is now working for Munroe. —Richard Newby, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2023

Shunning that tradition, Matt Jarmond always called it the Aggie-Eagle Classic in a nod to his alma mater, A&T, never mind that his wife and mother both went to that other school. —Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023

See More

Word History

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1