not

adverb

Definition of notnext
as in never
in no way or under no circumstances The food was so burnt that it was not edible.

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for not
  1. never
  2. rarely
  3. seldom
Adverb
  • Their biggest obstacle is that their collectivist vision has never worked without trampling on civil liberties.
    — Nolan Finley The Detroit News, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The Bills, of course, haven't reached a Super Bowl since 1994, and the Texans have never played in one.
    — The Athletic NFL Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of never
Adverb
  • Kingsbury’s offense rarely moved receivers around or put skill position players in motion; Blough’s will do both on a high percentage of snaps.
    — Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Under the original agreement, the government would only receive three million shares if Tesla failed — a counterintuitive arrangement, since public stakes in struggling companies rarely benefit taxpayers.
    — Mariana Mazzucato, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of rarely
Adverb
  • His two sons attended New York public schools, but Spade says their formal observance of the attacks seldom extended beyond a moment of silence.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The earlier series has increasingly strained credulity by having its romance plots hinge on inequalities of gender and class, but seldom of race.
    — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of seldom
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.

Phrases Containing not

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nosy
not
notabilities
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Cite this Entry

“Not.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/not. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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