shan't
Refuse to do
Shan't is a contraction of "shall not," used to express refusal or indicate that something will not happen: I shan't be attending the party.
The word sounds formal or old-fashioned to American ears but remains more common in British English.
It often carries a note of firm resolve: I shan't apologize for what I said.
Lacking the ability
- shouldn'tAdvised against doing
- wouldn'tPast conditional negative
- couldn'tPast inability marker
- mustn'tExpressing prohibition or forbiddance
oughtn't · mightn't · needn't · hasn't · haven't · hadn't · isn't · aren't
can't
Lacking the ability
mustn't · oughtn't · mightn't · needn't · hasn't · haven't · hadn't · isn't · aren't · wasn't
quaint
Attractively unfamiliar, outdated
- old-fashionedBelonging to earlier times
- VictorianOf a prim era
- EdwardianOf early twentieth-century Britain
antiquated · dated · formal · genteel · proper · refined · British · literary · period · bygone
decline
Decrease or refuse
forbid · prohibit · disallow · veto · rebuff · withhold · resist · oppose · turn down · abstain