# needn't

Pronunciation: US say "NEED-uhnt" /nidn̩t/; AUS say "NEE-duhnt" /niːdn̩t/

## Verb

1. Used to indicate that something is not necessary or obligatory; the contraction of 'need not'. *(literary, British)*
   - Simple: Used to say that something does not have to be done.
   - _You needn't trouble yourself further, as the matter is already settled._
   - _She needn't have apologized, for no one had taken any offense._

## Origin

A contraction formed from "need" plus the negative ending "-n't."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/needn-t (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).