shouldn't

Australia, US, UK/ˈʃʊdənt/Australia, US, UK[ˈʃʊdn̩t]British, Southern, Standard/ˈʃɵdənt/British, Southern, Standard[ˈʃɵdn̩t]

verb

Should not (negative auxiliary)

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Meanings

verb
  1. Should not (negative auxiliary)

    I shouldn't be telling you all this. It'll make you angry.

    1989 February 5, Colin Robinson, “You Dared Us To Dream That We Are Worth Wanting Each Other”, in Gay Community News, volume 16, number 29, page 8
nounshouldn't (plural shouldn'ts)

plural shouldn'ts

  1. informalSomething that should not be done.

    Being a list-o-maniac, I suggested we make a list of the "shoulds" and "shouldn'ts." So in the darkness of hazy sleep, I began to mentally prepare mine. The first item on the "should" side was easy: a sibling for our 3-year-old daughter.

    2008, Working Mother, volume 31, number 8, page 20

Origin

From should + -n't.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Māori kia kaua ... e
  • kia kaua ... eShould not
Polish nie powinien
  • nie powinienShould not
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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