Meaning & use
nary
Last updated
UK/ˈneəri/
US/ˈneri/
Meaning
determinerbefore a nounold-fashioned
Not even one; used in the fixed phrase 'nary a' to stress that there was none at all.
Grammar: Almost always appears as 'nary a' followed by a singular noun: nary a word.
Patterns
- nary a something
There was nary a cloud in the sky all week.
He left the room with nary a word of thanks.
The old town had nary a stoplight to its name.
Common combinations
- nary a word
- She walked out with nary a word to anyone.
- nary a soul
- We hiked all morning and saw nary a soul.
- nary a complaint
- The crew worked through the night with nary a complaint.
- nary a trace
- The thief left nary a trace behind.
Synonyms and how they differ
- not a single
- Not a single is neutral and works anywhere, while nary sounds folksy or deliberately quaint.
- no
- No is the plain everyday choice, but it lacks the extra emphasis that nary adds.
- not one
- Not one can stand alone as a pronoun phrase, whereas nary must be followed by a noun.
Opposites
everyplenty of
Word family
- ne'er adverb
- a poetic contraction of never, historically related
- never adverb
- at no time, the ordinary word from which nary developed
Commonly confused: nary or nearly?
nary vs nearly
Nearly means almost, not none at all; nary expresses complete absence.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'nary' correctly.
Choose one answer.
Nary is used in the fixed phrase 'nary a' followed by a singular noun; the other options break that pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nary”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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