not to say
idiom
—used to introduce a more forceful or critical way of describing someone or something
He was impolite, not to say downright rude!
Examples of not to say in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Still, if the Canadian club is representing the AL in two weeks’ time, that’s not to say that the north-of-the-border numbers will be inadmissible in MLB’s calculus.
—
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 10 Oct. 2025
That’s not to say that Addison can be replaced easily.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
That’s not to say his life is without its hurdles.
—Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
That’s not to say the movie is all sunshiny and upbeat about the increasing dominance of tech in our lives.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not to say
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 10 Oct. 2025
That’s not to say that Addison can be replaced easily.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
That’s not to say his life is without its hurdles.
—Eric Andersson, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
That’s not to say the movie is all sunshiny and upbeat about the increasing dominance of tech in our lives.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not to say
Cite this Entry
“Not to say.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20to%20say. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share