nary

American  

[nair-ee] / ˈnɛər i /

adjective

Older Use.

1. not any; no; never a.

   nary a sound.

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nary British  

/ ˈnɛərɪ /

adverb

1. dialect not; never

   nary a man was left

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Etymology

Origin of nary

First recorded in 1740–50; variant of ne'er a never a

Explanation

Use the adjective nary to mean "none," or "not a single one." If you hope for a snowy morning, when you wake up you'll be sad to see nary a snowflake. Nary is an old fashioned and informal way to say "not." You might describe your friend's sad, empty book shelves with nary a novel on them, or your bald great uncle, who has nary a hair on his head. The word has been around since the mid-1700s, from never a, which was then shortened to ne'er a, and finally nary.

Example Sentences

Her production of “Ragtime,” with its sumptuous score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, had nary a weak link in a cast of characters among the most expansive in the recent annals of musicals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 26, 2025

On Saturday at the opening night of her Forum stand, Lipa — herself a British-Albanian-Kosovar atelier of sophisticated, structurally flawless disco-pop — played for nearly three hours with nary a sweat broken.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 5, 2025

Maybe just stick with the Ben Affleck Dunkin’ ad, where nary a g-word is spoken.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2025

But what do you call the grief that comes when the modern world leaves nary a trace of the place that raised you?

From Slate • Jul. 31, 2025

She knew very well that the Swanburne Academy was kept spit-spot; nary a shred of ivy was allowed to grow anywhere near the walls.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood