nary a
Not a single
Nary a is an informal or dialectal way of saying "not a single" or "not one," used to emphasize complete absence.
There was nary a cloud in the sky.
He left without nary a word.
It appears most often in folksy or rural speech patterns and in deliberately old-fashioned or humorous contexts.
The construction always precedes a noun and carries a stronger emphasis than simply saying "no" or "not any."
- noOpposite of yes
- nothingNot any thing
- absentNot in attendance
- scarcelyAlmost not
- few and far betweenRarely encountered, widely spaced
not a single · zero · zilch · lacking · null · neither · in short supply · nonexistent · missing · whit · without · utterly · completely · void · empty · few · next to nothing · entirely