Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
-n't. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
-n't, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
-n't in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
-n't you have here. The definition of the word
-n't will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
-n't, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Univerbation of not and some preceding words (see usage notes) and following elision of medial vowel, or univerbation of n't and some preceding words. Compare n't.
Pronunciation
Suffix
-n't
- (no longer productive, unless humorous) Negates the meaning of the clause in which it occurs.
Usage notes
- This contraction does not receive stress, even for contrast: either you DID or you DIDn't.
- The suffix -n’t can only be added to auxiliary verbs, including dare and need in certain uses (see daredn't), as well as main verbs be (in almost all uses) and have (in some uses). Indeed, in some dialects, not all auxiliary verbs accept -n’t; for example, mayn’t is present in some dialects and absent in others.
- Some verbs change their form when -n’t is added; for example, shall + -n’t is usually shan’t, and am + -n’t is frequently aren’t or ain’t (though all three of these are dialect-dependent).
- Though verbs with -n’t are usually considered contractions of versions using the adverb not, grammatically they behave somewhat differently. For example, when subject and verb are inverted, -n’t remains attached to the verb, whereas not does not:
- Isn’t that difficult?
- Is that not difficult?
- Semantically, -n’t may have either “high attachment” or “low attachment”, depending primarily on the verb. For example, “I can’t leave” means “It is not the case that I can leave” (usually “I am unable to leave”), whereas “I shouldn’t leave” means basically “I should stay” (which is a narrower statement, and therefore a stronger one, than “It is not the case that I should leave”). (“I can stay”, by contrast, is very different from “I can’t leave.”) Similar variation is seen with the adverb not, as well as various other negative constructions.
Derived terms
Anagrams