shouldn't

contraction

ˈshu̇-dᵊnt How to pronounce shouldn't (audio)
-dᵊn,
 dialectal also  ˈshu̇-tᵊn(t),
 or  ˈshu̇nt
: should not

Word History

First Known Use

1675, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shouldn't was in 1675

Browse Nearby Words

shouldest
shouldn't
shouldna
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shouldn't.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shouldn%27t. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

shouldn't

ˈshu̇d-ᵊnt How to pronounce shouldn't (audio)
: should not

More from Merriam-Webster on shouldn't

Nglish: Translation of shouldn't for Spanish Speakers

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Words You Always Have to Look Up

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

10 Hella Good U.S. Regionalisms

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

More Words with Remarkable Origins
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All