Never vs Late - What's the difference?
never | late |
At no time; on no occasion; in no circumstance.
* 1634 , (w), (John Fletcher), , Act 2, Scene 4,
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1
, passage=In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.}}
* 1908 , (Lucy Maud Montgomery), , Chapter XXI: A New Departure in Flavorings,
* 1919 , B. G. Jefferis, J. L. Nichols, ,
Not at any other time; not on any other occasion; not previously.
* 1601 Novenber 30, (Elizabeth I of England), ,
* 1813 , (Jane Austen), , Chapter 4,
* 1908 , (Lucy Maud Montgomery), , Chapter XIII: The Delights of Anticipation,
(colloquial) Negative particle (used to negate verbs in the simple past tense; also used absolutely ).
Near the end of a period of time.
Specifically, near the end of the day.
(usually, not used comparatively) Associated with the end of a period.
Not arriving until after an expected time.
Not having had an expected menstrual period.
(deceased)(not comparable, euphemistic) Deceased, dead:
* , chapter=12
, title= Existing or holding some position not long ago, but not now; departed, or gone out of office.
Recent — relative to the noun it modifies.
* 1914 , (Robert Frost), (North of Boston) , "A Hundred Collars":
(informal) A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place late in the day or at night.
* 2007 , Paul W Browning, The Good Guys Wear Blue
After a deadline has passed, past a designated time.
formerly, especially in the context of service in a military unit.
:Colonel Easterwood, late of the 34th Carbines, was a guest at the dinner party.
As an adverb never
is at no time; on no occasion; in no circumstance.As a noun late is
(kind of) hatchet, axe, chopper.never
English
(wikipedia never)Adverb
(-)- Why should I love this Gentleman? Tis odds / He never will affect me;
- "I never thought you were so fond of Mr. Phillips that you'd require two handkerchiefs to dry your tears just because he was going away," said Marilla.
- Never speak of the symptoms of your patient in his presence, unless questioned by the doctor, whose orders you are always to obey implicitly .
- There is no jewel, be it of never so rich a price, which I set before this jewel: I mean your love.
- "He is just what a young man ought to be," said she, "sensible, good-humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners!--so much ease, with such perfect good breeding!"
- I never saw such an infatuated man.
Antonyms
* alwaysDerived terms
* better late than never * I have never * never again * never-ending * never ever * never in a month of Sundays * never mind * nevermore * neverness * never say never * nevertheless * now or never * on the never never * you never knowStatistics
*late
English
Adjective
(er)The Mirror and the Lamp, passage=To Edward […] he was terrible, nerve-inflaming, poisonously asphyxiating. He sat rocking himself in the late Mr. Churchill's swing chair, smoking and twaddling.}}
- Lancaster bore him — such a little town, / Such a great man. It doesn't see him often / Of late years, though he keeps the old homestead / And sends the children down there with their mother
Usage notes
* (deceased) (term) in this sense is unusual among English adjectives in that it qualifies named individuals (in phrases like (term)) without creating a contrast with another Mary who is not late. Contrast (hungry): a phrase like (term) is usually only used if another Mary is under discussion who is not hungry.Noun
(en noun)- At about 11 pm one night in Corporation Street my watch were on van patrol and Yellow Watch were on lates as usual.
Adverb
(er)- We drove as fast as we could, but we still arrived late .
