# shouldn't

Pronunciation: say "SHUUD-nt" /ˈʃʊdn̩t/

## Verb

1. Contraction of 'should not'; used to express that something is inadvisable, improper, or unlikely to be the case.
   - Simple: A short form of 'should not', used when something is a bad idea or probably not true.
   - _Drivers shouldn't use their phones behind the wheel._
   - _The package shouldn't take more than two days to arrive._

## Noun

2. Something that should not be done: an action treated as off-limits or unwise. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Something that is a bad idea or against the rules, especially on a list of advice.
   - _Skipping the warm-up is a definite shouldn't for new runners._
   - _The employee handbook covers all the shoulds and shouldn'ts of office etiquette._

## Origin

Formed from "should" combined with the contraction "-n't" (meaning "not").

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