oughtn't

Northern England, UK, Wales/ˈɔːtənt/Northern England, UK, Wales[ˈɔːtn̩t]Australia, British, New Zealand, Southern, Standard/ˈoːtənt/Australia, British, New Zealand, Southern, Standard[ˈoːtn̩t]

verb

(US, Philippines, dated, rare) ought not (negative auxiliary).

“We ought to wake dad, oughtn't we?”

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Meanings

verb
  1. CommonwealthIrelandUK(US, Philippines, dated, rare) ought not (negative auxiliary).

    We ought to wake dad, oughtn't we?

Origin

From ought + -n't.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

oughtn't. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oughtn't

MLA

“oughtn't.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oughtn't. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “oughtn't,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oughtn't.

Source: oughtn't on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.