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Meaning & use

nary a soul

phrase·Advancedinformalold-fashioned

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UK/ˌneəri ə ˈsəʊl/
US/ˌneri ə ˈsoʊl/

Meaning

  1. phraseidiominformalold-fashioned

    Not a single person; nobody at all, used for emphasis when describing an empty place.

    Grammar: Usually follows a verb like see or find: we saw nary a soul.

    Patterns

    • see nary a soul
    • find nary a soul

    We walked the whole beach and saw nary a soul.

    The town was silent, with nary a soul in the streets.

    There was nary a soul in the office at midnight.

Common combinations

see nary a soul
We drove for an hour and saw nary a soul.
find nary a soul
The explorers found nary a soul in the village.
nary a soul in sight
There was nary a soul in sight.
nary a soul around
There was nary a soul around at that hour.

Synonyms and how they differ

not a soul
Not a soul is the everyday version and is understood everywhere, whereas nary a soul sounds more old-fashioned.
nobody
Nobody is plain and neutral, while nary a soul adds humor and emphasis.
not a single person
Not a single person is clear and formal enough for any text, while nary a soul sounds folksy.
no one
No one is neutral and general, and lacks the dramatic flavor of nary a soul.

Opposites

everybody

Word family

nary adjective
not any, a dialect form of never a
soul noun
a person

Commonly confused: nary a soul or nearly?

nary a soul vs nearly

Nearly means almost, while nary means not any; they sound alike but have opposite effects.

Practice

The street was so quiet that there was ___ in sight.

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