why not

Casual acceptance phrase

Why not is a response expressing casual agreement or willingness to try something: Want to grab dinner? Why not.

It suggests the absence of any good reason to refuse.

As a question, it asks someone to justify their reluctance: Why not just tell her the truth?

The phrase can sound either agreeable or challenging depending on tone.

spontaneity

impulse

Sudden urge to act

whimSudden arbitrary desire
adventureRisky exciting undertaking
carefreeFree from anxiety

boldness · daring · leap · risk · chance · gamble · spontaneous · unplanned · impromptu · serendipity

permission

authorization

Formal permission granted

approvalFavorable opinion given
clearancePermitted passage or approval
go-aheadPermission to begin

sanction · allowance · consent · blessing · okay · nod · acceptance · validation · endorsement

encouragement

motivation

Impetus toward a goal

supportTo uphold or sustain
reassuranceWords meant to calm
nudgeGentle push to prompt

push · boost · empowerment · affirmation · confidence · persuasion · incentive · endorsement · urging · prompting

Categories

persuasionpersuade, persuasion, persuasive, convince, convincing
suggestion phraseshow about, consider this, what if, perhaps, worth considering
question wordswhat, when, where, which, who
linear logictensor, par, with, plus, of course
agreementagree, accord, yes, yeah, yep
rhetorical questionswho knows, who cares, so what, what else is new, are you kidding

Opposites

receptivity/agreement

why notno way

Emphatic denial

absolutely not · no · never · out of the question · not a chance

questioning direction

why notwhy

Reason-seeking query

what for · why bother · for what reason · to what end · what's the point

Family

not, why, nonetheless, whyever

Familiarity: Top 5,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G