English Meaning & Definitions
Not even a single person or thing; absolutely none.
- “Not one person showed up to the meeting on time.”
- “She checked all the boxes, but found not one usable tool.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “not one”.
The phrase combines the negative particle 'not' (derived from Old English 'nāwiht', meaning 'no whit' or 'nothing') with 'one', the cardinal number derived from Old English 'ān'. Used as a fixed quantifier phrase since the Middle English period to emphasize a complete absence or zero quantity.
Think of it as 'zero out of all of them'—even a single one is missing.
Frequently Asked Questions About “not one”
1. What is the meaning of “not one” in English?
In English, not one (idiom) is defined as: “Not even a single person or thing; absolutely none.”.
2. How do you use “not one” in a sentence?
“Not one person showed up to the meeting on time.”
3. What are English synonyms of “not one”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “not one”?
The phrase combines the negative particle 'not' (derived from Old English 'nāwiht', meaning 'no whit' or 'nothing') with 'one', the cardinal number derived from Old English 'ān'. Used as a fixed quantifier phrase since the Middle English period to emphasize a complete absence or zero quantity.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.