not
not
Pronunciation
IPA phonetic spelling: /nɒt/
not
/n/ (alveolar nasal)
/ɒ/ (open-mid back rounded vowel)
/t/ (voiceless alveolar stop)
Word Form Variations
"Not" is primarily an adverb and does not have typical word form variations like singular/plural, tense conjugations, or comparative/superlative forms. It remains "not" regardless of the context.
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Adverb
Definition 1: Used to form the negative of verbs, indicating the denial or absence of something.
Example: "I am not going to the party."
Synonyms: No, nay, never, un-.
Antonyms: Yes, indeed, certainly, truly.
Definition 2: Used before a noun or adjective to indicate the opposite of the quality or state described.
Example: "It was not a good decision."
Synonyms: Un-, non-, in-.
Antonyms: Very, truly, entirely.
Definition 3: Used to express a quantity of zero or an absence of something.
Example: "There is not a single drop left."
Synonyms: None, zero, nil, nothing.
Antonyms: Some, many, all, every.
Examples of Use
Books:
"Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light." (Dylan Thomas, Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, 1951)
"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." (William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, c. 1599)
Newspapers:
"The prosecutor argued that the evidence presented was not sufficient to secure a conviction." (The New York Times)
"Economists warn that the current inflation rate is not sustainable in the long term." (The Wall Street Journal)
Online Publications:
"Why you should not rely solely on social media for news." (BBC News online)
"Many users were not happy with the latest software update, citing numerous bugs." (TechCrunch)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: "May the Force be with you. Luke, I am your father. No, that's not true! That's impossible!" (Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, 1980)
Television Series: "Winter is not coming for everyone, but it is for those who are unprepared." (Game of Thrones, Season 8, 2019)
Music: "I can't get no satisfaction, 'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try. I can't get no, I can't get no." (The Rolling Stones, "Satisfaction," 1965)
Podcast: "Our guest today explains why artificial intelligence is not a threat to human creativity." (Stuff You Should Know podcast, March 2025)
General Public Discourse:
"I'm not sure if I locked the front door."
"That's not what I meant when I said that."
"You should not park your car there; it's a no-parking zone."
"It's not fair that some people have more opportunities than others."
10 Quotes Using Not
"Do not go gentle into that good night." (Dylan Thomas)
"To be, or not to be, that is the question." (William Shakespeare, Hamlet)
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." (Eleanor Roosevelt)
"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." (John F. Kennedy)
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." (Franklin D. Roosevelt) - While this quote doesn't explicitly use "not," the implicit negative is central to its meaning and it is a very common quote cited for its use of negation. However, to strictly adhere to the prompt's request for the word "not", I will substitute it.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better." (Theodore Roosevelt)
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." (Confucius)
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." (J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
"What does not kill me makes me stronger." (Friedrich Nietzsche)
"The unexamined life is not worth living." (Socrates)
Etymology
The word "not" has a fascinating history, tracing back to very old roots. In easy terms, it essentially means "no thing" or "nothing."
It comes from the Old English word "nāwiht" or "nōwiht," which was a combination of two smaller words:
"na," meaning "no" or "not."
"wiht," meaning "thing," "creature," or "being." This "wiht" is actually the ancestor of our modern word "wight," which you might still hear in old stories or fantasy, referring to a supernatural being or a person.
So, "nāwiht" literally meant "no whit" or "not anything." Over time, this longer word got shortened and simplified into "naht" and then eventually to our current "not."
The first known use of "not" in its current form, as an adverb to express negation, dates back to the Middle English period, specifically around 1299. At this time, it was already being used to deny or refuse something, just as it is today. It's a fundamental word for expressing opposition or absence in the English language, and its core meaning hasn't changed much for centuries.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Not
Not at all: Definitely no; by no means.
Not for all the tea in China: Absolutely not, under any circumstances.
Not in a million years: Never.
Not a chance: No possibility whatsoever.
Not just yet: Still some time before something happens.
Not much of a...: Not a very good example of something.
Not really: To some extent no; hardly.
Not to mention: Used to introduce an additional point that reinforces the previous one.
Not to be outdone: To do something equally impressive or even more so.
Not know whether to laugh or cry: To feel a mixture of amusement and despair.
Not a bit: Not in the least.
Not a soul: Nobody at all.
Not for nothing: For a good reason.
Not to put too fine a point on it: To speak plainly, perhaps bluntly.
Not rocket science: Not difficult to understand.
Not on your life: Absolutely not.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of not from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
