never-never

1 of 2

noun

plural -s
1
or never-never land or less commonly never-never country
a(1)
Australia : sparsely settled country in the northern and western part of Queensland
(2)
: a remote or sparsely settled region : a barren or frontier area
b(1)
never-never land : an ideal or imaginary place or region
that never-never land of true romance and pure loveRollene W. Saal
(2)
: an exotic place
a never-never land of poodles and chauffeursKathryn Livingston
also : an absurd or indeterminate situation
was capital disappearing into an unproductive never-never land? Gregg Easterbrook
2
: an illusory existence
3
[reduplication of never] British : a system of installment purchase

never-never

2 of 2

adjective

: characterized by an imaginary, idealistic, or fantastic quality
the never-never rhetoric … which had to do with perfect justice and perfect harmonyJane Kramer

Word History

Etymology

Noun

short for never-never land, probably from reduplication of never + land

Adjective

never-never land

First Known Use

Noun

1833, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of never-never was in 1833

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Dictionary Entries Near never-never

Cite this Entry

“Never-never.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/never-never. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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