Standard Lemma guide

ever

adj · adv · det · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɛvə/
  • General-American: /ˈɛvɚ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛvə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: EH1 V ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Occurring at any time, occurring even but once during a timespan.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: epidemiology, medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

Always, frequently, forever.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, formal, not-comparable

Examples

  • It was ever thus.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adv

Meaning 3

Continuously, constantly, all the time (for the complete duration).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • People struggled to cope with the ever-increasing cost of living.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adv

Meaning 4

At any time.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • We've only ever talked on the phone.
  • I scarcely ever see you anymore!.
  • If that ever happens, we’re in deep trouble.
  • This is one of the best movies ever.
  • He's back and better than ever.
  • I’ll stop your ever doing that again.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adv

Meaning 5

As intensifier following an interrogative word.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, not-comparable

Examples

  • Was I ever glad to see you!
  • Did I ever!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adv

Meaning 6

Indicates experiential aspect, once; has or have (done something) before.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Manglish, Singlish, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

det

Meaning 7

Shortening of every

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dialectal, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adverb

Meaning 8

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I will always be there to help you
  • always arrives on time
  • there is always some pollution in the air
  • ever hoping to strike it rich
  • ever busy

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: always, e'er

Antonyms: never

9

adverb

Meaning 9

at any time

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • did you ever smoke?
  • the best con man of all time

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: of all time

Antonyms: none provided

10

adverb

Meaning 10

(intensifier for adjectives) very

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she was ever so friendly

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ever so

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English ever, from Old English ǣfre, originally a phrase whose first element undoubtedly consists of Old English ā (“ever, always”) + in (“in”) + an element possibly from feorh (“life, existence”) (dative fēore). Compare Old English ā tō fēore (“ever in life”), Old English feorhlīf (“life”). Sense 5 of the adverb was likely formed by association with never, which also carries the meaning of did not in colloquial Singaporean and Malaysian English. Also, compare Chinese 有 ... 過 /有 ... 过 (yǒu ... guò / jau5 ... gwo3, “has [...] before”).

Across languages

Translations

117 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: միշտ (mišt) — always
  • Bulgarian: ви́наги (vínagi) — always
  • Chinese Mandarin: 總是 /总是 (zǒngshì) — always
  • Danish: altid — always
  • Danish: immer — always
  • Danish: idelig — always
  • Dutch: ooit — always
  • Dutch: altijd — always
  • Dutch: steeds — always
  • Esperanto: ĉiam — always
  • Estonian: kunagi — always
  • Finnish: aina — always
  • French: toujours — always
  • West-Frisian: jimmer — always
  • German: immer — always
  • German: stets — always
  • German: ewig — always
  • Gothic: 𐌰𐌹𐍅 (aiw) — always
  • Greek: πάντα (pánta) — always
  • Greek: πάντοτε (pántote) — always
  • Hungarian: mindig — always
  • Hungarian: folyton — always
  • Japanese: ずっと (zutto) — always
  • Japanese: いつも (itsumo) — always
  • Korean: 이제까지 (ijekkaji) — always
  • Korean: 늘 (neul) — always
  • Korean: 항상 (hangsang) — always
  • Korean: 언제나 (eonjena) — always
  • Latin: semper — always
  • Norwegian: støtt — always
  • Norwegian: stadig — always
  • Persian: همیشه (hamiše) — always
  • Polish: zawsze — always
  • Portuguese: sempre — always
  • Russian: всегда́ (vsegdá) — always
  • Serbo-Croatian: uvijek — always
  • Spanish: siempre — always
  • Spanish: jamás — always
  • Swedish: alltid — always
  • Turkish: hep — always
  • Turkish: her zaman — always
  • Turkish: ebediyen — always
  • Ukrainian: завжди́ (zavždý) — always
  • Vietnamese: bao giờ — always
  • Welsh: bob amser — always
  • Welsh: yn wastad — always
  • Esperanto: ĉiam — continuously, constantly, all the time
  • Finnish: jatkuvasti — continuously, constantly, all the time
  • Hungarian: egyre — continuously, constantly, all the time
  • Hungarian: folyton — continuously, constantly, all the time
  • Hungarian: egyre csak — continuously, constantly, all the time
  • Hungarian: örökké — continuously, constantly, all the time
  • Polish: coraz — continuously, constantly, all the time
  • Polish: stale — continuously, constantly, all the time
  • Arabic: يَوْمًا (yawman) — at any time
  • Armenian: երբեւիցե (erbewicʻe) — at any time
  • Basque: inoiz — at any time
  • Basque: noizbait — at any time
  • Bulgarian: когато и да е (kogato i da e) — at any time
  • Catalan: mai — at any time
  • Chinese Mandarin: 曾經 /曾经 (céngjīng) — at any time
  • Czech: někdy — at any time
  • Dutch: ooit — at any time
  • Esperanto: iam — at any time
  • Esperanto: iam ajn — at any time
  • Finnish: ikinä — at any time
  • Finnish: koskaan — at any time
  • French: jamais — at any time
  • West-Frisian: ea — at any time
  • Georgian: ოდესმე (odesme) — at any time
  • German: jemals — at any time
  • German: je — at any time
  • Gothic: 𐍈𐌰𐌽𐌷𐌿𐌽 (ƕanhun) — at any time
  • Greek: ποτέ (poté) — at any time
  • Ancient Greek: πώποτε (pṓpote) — at any time
  • Hebrew: אֵי פַּעַם (e pá'am) — at any time
  • Hungarian: valaha — at any time
  • Hungarian: valamikor — at any time
  • Hungarian: akármikor — at any time
  • Interlingua: jammais — at any time
  • Interlingua: unquam — at any time
  • Italian: mai — at any time
  • Japanese: いつか (itsuka) — at any time
  • Korean: 언제든 (eonjedeun) — at any time
  • Latin: umquam — at any time
  • Latin: unquam — at any time
  • Latin: numcubi — at any time
  • Latvian: jebkad — at any time
  • Norwegian Bokmål: noensinne — at any time
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: nokosinne — at any time
  • Plautdietsch: jeemols — at any time
  • Polish: kiedykolwiek — at any time
  • Portuguese: alguma vez — at any time
  • Portuguese: de sempre — at any time
  • Russian: когда́-либо (kogdá-libo) — at any time
  • Scottish Gaelic: riamh — at any time
  • Serbo-Croatian: ikad — at any time
  • Slovene: kdàj — at any time
  • Spanish: alguna vez — at any time
  • Spanish: jamás — at any time
  • Swedish: någonsin — at any time
  • Turkish: hiç — at any time
  • Ukrainian: коли́-не́будь (kolý-nébudʹ) — at any time
  • Vietnamese: bao giờ — at any time
  • Welsh: byth — at any time
  • Welsh: erioed — at any time
  • Esperanto: iel ajn — in any way
  • Finnish: ikinä — in any way
  • Finnish: koskaan — in any way
  • Hungarian: valahogyan — in any way
  • Hungarian: akárhogyan — in any way
  • Finnish: kyllä — intensifier following an interrogative word
  • Hungarian: nagyon — intensifier following an interrogative word
  • Hungarian: igazán — intensifier following an interrogative word
  • Hungarian: igen — intensifier following an interrogative word
  • Hungarian: bizony — intensifier following an interrogative word
  • Hungarian: ám — intensifier following an interrogative word