not

And not.

Adverb

  1. Negates the meaning of the modified verb.
    • Did you take out the trash? — No, I did not. I do not think it was my turn, was it?
    • Not knowing any better, I went ahead.
    • It was felt desirable that she not leave school before fourteen.
  2. To no degree.
    • That is not red; it's green.
    • It's not you, it's me.
    • Expectation: Everybody in the family has to love everybody else. Reaction: Not the ghost of Christmas past, present, or future could pull this one off unless feeling is already there. - 1984 December 22, John Stout,...
  3. Used to indicate the opposite or near opposite, often in a form of understatement.
    • That day was not the best day of my life. (meaning the day was bad or awful)
    • It was not my favorite movie of all time. (meaning the speaker dislikes or strongly dislikes the movie)
    • In the not too distant future my view on the matter might be not a million miles away from yours.
  4. Used before a determiner phrase, a pronominal phrase etc. to convey a negative attitude (e.g. denial, sadness, anger) towards something.
    • Oh god, not that! Anything but that!
    • Not another rainy day!
  5. Used before a non-finite clause (especially a gerund-participial clause) or less commonly a determiner phrase to ironically convey some attitude (e.g. surprise, incredulity, amusement, embarrassment) towards something.
    • Not me writing example sentences again.
    • Not me crying by the end of that!! You are a brilliant, beautiful human who deserves no less than the world. Thank you for taking the time to watch unicorn store. It’s a film that means so much to me. - 2023 July 8,...
    • [Keke] Palmer tells Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager to “mind y'all's business” when they ask about her relationship with [Darius] Jackson. ¶ “Not y’all trying to get into it! They trying it on the Today show,” Palmer...

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Germanic *ne Proto-West Germanic *ne Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey- Proto-Indo-European *-u Proto-Indo-European *h₂óyu Proto-Indo-European *-osinflu. Proto-Germanic *aiwaz Proto-West Germanic *aiw univ. Proto-West Germanic *naiw Proto-Indo-European *wekʷ- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *wékʷtisder.? Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *wéǵʰtisder.? Proto-Germanic *wihtą Proto-West Germanic *wiht Proto-West Germanic *naiwwiht Old English nāwiht Old English *nōht Middle English nought Middle English not English not From Middle English not, nat, a variant of noght, naht (“not, nothing”), from Old English *nōht, nāht (“nought, nothing”), shortening of nōwiht, nāwiht (“nothing”, literally “not anything”), from Proto-West Germanic *naiwwiht, corresponding to ne (“not”) + ōwiht, āwiht (“anything”),...

Related

ain't aren't cannot can't daren't didn't doesn't don't forget-me-not hadn't hasn't have-not haven't isn't mightn't needn't neither no nor not bad not guilty not quite not think notwithstanding

Derived

astronot could not get elected dogcatcher injucundity not again not a word Not-Deer not dog not-for-profit not necessarily notness notpology not-self not-so-hot notspot not to put too fine a point on it notwheat whatnot wherenot

Conjunction

  1. And not.
    • I wanted a plate of shrimp, not a bucket of chicken.
    • He painted the car blue and black, not solid purple.
    • We can't run this bar without her. Not and raise two kids.

Interjection

  1. Used to indicate that the previous phrase was meant sarcastically or ironically.
    • Near-synonyms: I don't think; psych; bender (obsolete, UK)
    • I really like hanging out with my little brother watching Barney … not!
    • Sure, you’re perfect the way you are … not!

    Synonyms: I don't think psych bender

    Coordinate Terms: just kidding

Forms

not!

Noun

  1. An instance of using the word “not”; a negation or denial.
    • The children are taught to be afraid of winter, of war, of death, of hard times, of disease, of examinations. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that children so seldom find the conversation of their elders uplifting....
  2. Alternative letter-case form of NOT (“unary operation on logical values that changes true to false, and false to true”).

Forms

nots

Related

if then else and no or true false