Not: meaning, definitions and examples

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not

[ nɒt ]

Adverb / Noun

Oxford 3000

^{Context #1 | Adverb}

in a negative way

Used to express negation, denial, refusal, or prohibition.

Synonyms

absolutely not, never, no.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

Word	Description / Examples
not	Used to negate a verb or statement, general purpose. I do not like broccoli. She will not go to the party.
no	Used as a straightforward way to refuse or reject something. Do you want to go for a walk? No. Did you finish your homework? No.
never	Used when something has not happened in the past and will not happen in the future. I have never been to Paris. She never eats meat.
absolutely not	Used to firmly reject something or strongly emphasize a refusal. Would you lend me $500? Absolutely not! Can I borrow your car? Absolutely not!

Examples of usage

I do not agree with you.
She is not coming to the party.
Not everyone can afford a luxury car.

^{Context #2 | Noun}

logic

A logical operator that produces a truth value opposite to the operand.

Examples of usage

In logic, 'not' is often represented by the symbol ¬.
The 'not' operator in programming can reverse the value of a boolean variable.

Translations

Translations of the word "not" in other languages:

🇵🇹 não

🇮🇳 नहीं

🇩🇪 nicht

🇮🇩 tidak

🇺🇦 ні

🇵🇱 nie

🇯🇵 いいえ

🇫🇷 non

🇪🇸 no

🇹🇷 hayır

🇰🇷 아니요

🇸🇦 لا

🇨🇿 ne

🇸🇰 nie

🇨🇳 不

🇸🇮 ne

🇮🇸 ekki

🇰🇿 жоқ

🇬🇪 არა

🇦🇿 yox

🇲🇽 no

Etymology

The word 'not' originated from Old English 'naht', which evolved into Middle English 'nought' and eventually 'not'. It has been used in English for centuries to indicate negation and has remained a fundamental element of the language.

Word Frequency Rank

At rank #6, this is one of the most fundamental words in English. It's absolutely essential to master this word as it forms the backbone of English communication and appears in almost every conversation or text.

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