Meanings
conjunction
- Even; perhaps; almost.
At first Marc was somewhat shocked, then he burst out laughing and finally came to the conclusion that actually it was all rather sad, not to say stupid.
c. 1962, Jacqueline Shohet Kahanoff, “Wake of the Waves”, in Deborah A. Starr, Sasson Somekh, editors, Mongrels Or Marvels, Stanford University Press, published 2011, →ISBN, page 145
phrase
- Used to clarify a statement: not intended to mean.
“Without an engaged audience, there’s no route to stardom.” ¶ That’s not to say that Sophie thinks the internet celebrity is dead. They may just have to work a little harder for it.
2024 June 26, Stephanie McNeal, “Influencers Aren’t Getting Famous Like They Used To”, in Glamour
Translations
Dutch om niet te zeggen
- om niet te zeggeneven; perhaps; almost
French pour ne pas dire
- pour ne pas direeven; perhaps; almost
Polish żeby nie powiedzieć
- żeby nie powiedziećeven; perhaps; almost
Cite this entry
APA
not to say. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20to%20say
MLA
“not to say.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20to%20say. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “not to say,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/not%20to%20say.
Source: not to say on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.