INDEX:
1. not
2. stronger expressions meaning not
3. not one thing and not the other
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ NEVER
↑ NO
↑ NONE/NOTHING
↑ OPPOSITE
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1. not
▷ not /nɒt/ [adverb]
▪ It’s not boring -- it’s really interesting.
▪ David’s not stupid. He knows what’s going on.
▪ This period of history is not well documented.
▪ We’re not going on holiday this year.
▪ Buying a yacht isn’t as expensive as you might imagine.
▪ ‘Are you worried about your exams?’ ‘No, I’m not.’
▪ It’s not a computer -- it’s a word processor.
▷ not very /nɒt ˈveri/ [adverb]
not - use this especially when you do not want to state a negative quality directly :
▪ I wouldn’t recommend the fish - it’s not very nice.
▪ He isn’t very clever, is he?
▪ The figures were different, but at the time we thought it wasn’t very important.
▷ not particularly /nɒt pəʳˈtɪkjɑləʳli/ [adverb]
not very, or not very much :
▪ It was a good film, not particularly exciting, but enjoyable.
▪ Birmingham isn’t a particularly beautiful city.
▪ I didn’t particularly want to go out.
▷ not quite /nɒt ˈkwaɪt/ [adverb]
not completely, but almost :
▪ The paint’s not quite dry yet.
▪ We haven’t quite finished yet.
▷ not exactly /nɒt ɪgˈzæktli/ [adverb]
not very or completely :
▪ She’s not exactly fat, but she is slightly overweight.
▪ What they’re doing is not exactly dishonest, but it’s not completely honest either.
▷ neither /ˈnaɪðəʳǁˈniː-/ [adverb]
use this to say that a negative statement that has just been made about someone is also true about someone else :
neither am I/neither does she/neither have we etc
▪ ‘I’ve never been to Australia.’ ‘No, neither have I.’
▪ Tom didn’t believe a word she said, and neither did the police.
2. stronger expressions meaning not
▷ not at all /ˌnɒt ət ˈɔːl/ [adverb]
use this to emphasize that something is definitely not true :
▪ She’s not at all happy about the situation.
▪ The children didn’t seem to be at all frightened.
▪ No, no, no, that’s wrong. That’s not what I meant at all.
▷ by no means/not by any means /baɪ ˈnəʊ miːnz, nɒt baɪ ˈeni miːnz/ [adverb] formal
use this when you want to say strongly that something is not true :
▪ It is by no means certain that you’ll get your money back.
▪ It’s difficult, but by no means impossible.
▪ It’s not clear by any means where the money is going to come from to fund this project.
▷ not in the least also not a bit especially British /ˌnɒt ɪn ðə ˈliːst, ˌnɒt ə ˈbɪt/ [adverb]
use this to say strongly that something is not true, especially when you would expect it to be true :
▪ You’re not in the least sorry, are you?
▪ My essay wasn’t a bit like yours.
▪ ‘Was she annoyed?’ ‘Not a bit! She was delighted.’f
not the least (bit)
▪ Henry wasn’t the least bit worried.
▷ in no way /ɪn ˌnəʊ ˈweɪ/ [adverb]
if something is in no way affected by something else, it is definitely not affected by it in any way :
▪ This will in no way influence our original decision.
▪ The damage is very slight and in no way reduces the value of the painting.
▷ not remotely /nɒt rɪˈməʊtli/ [adverb]
use this when something is completely untrue, impossible, different etc :
▪ His arguments are not remotely convincing.
▪ It was a stupid remark, and not remotely funny.
▪ She didn’t seem remotely interested in anything I had to say.
▷ hardly /ˈhɑːʳdli/ [adverb]
use this to emphasize that something is definitely not true, and if someone thinks it is true they are being a little stupid :
▪ They only won 1-0 - hardly a great victory!
▪ It’s hardly surprising he’s upset, considering the way you’ve treated him!
▪ He’s hardly a world chess champion - you should be able to beat him.
▪ All these similarities could hardly be due to chance.
▷ not be the world’s best/greatest /nɒt biː ðə ˌwɜːʳldz ˈbest, ˈgreɪtə̇st/ [verb phrase]
use this to say that someone is not good at something :
▪ I occasionally put up a few shelves, but I’m not exactly the world’s greatest handyman.
▷ be no expert/genius/Einstein etc /biː ˌnəʊ ˈekspɜːʳt/ [verb phrase]
an informal expression meaning to not have the skills, qualities etc of the person or type of person that you have mentioned :
▪ Of course, I’m no expert but that wall really looks like it’s leaning over.
▪ Stephanie knows what she’s doing. She’s no fool.
▪ He’s quite a bright boy I suppose, but he’s no Albert Einstein.
▷ simply/just not [adjective phrase]
use this to emphasize strongly that something is not possible, likely, true etc :
▪ I can’t see any use in us talking about that idea at all - it’s simply not practical.
▪ For as long as she could remember she’d just never been interested in marriage and children.
3. not one thing and not the other
▷ neither /ˈnaɪðəʳǁˈniː-/ [determiner/pronoun]
use this to emphasize that you are talking about both of two people or things when you make a negative statement about them :
▪ Neither side in the dispute seems willing to make any compromise.
neither of
▪ Neither of their children had shown any particular talent for music.
▷ neither ... nor /ˈnaɪðəʳ... nɔːʳǁˈniː-/
use this when you want to make a negative statement about two people, things, actions etc :
▪ The company’s chairman described the criticisms as ‘neither accurate nor fair’.
▪ Neither France nor Britain will be represented at the conference.
▪ She neither accepted nor rejected his offer immediately.
▷ neither one thing nor the other /naɪðəʳ ˌwʌn θɪŋ nɔːʳ ði ˈʌðəʳǁniː-/ [adjective phrase]
use this about something that does not have enough of the qualities of either of two things, so that is not satisfactory or definite in either way :
▪ Having had one Protestant parent and one Catholic parent, I was really neither one thing nor the other.
▪ The play attempts to blend high tragedy with comedy, but just ends up being neither one thing nor the other.