yet
adverb
Simple meaning
up to this time or still, often used in questions or negatives
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
yehtIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈjɛt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adverb
Thus far; up to the present; up to some unspecified time.
“I have yet to see the results.”
In negative or interrogative use, often with an expectation or potential of something happening in the future.
Within an indefinite time or at an unspecified future time
“He longed for the flowers that were yet to show themselves.”
At some future time; eventually.
(after 'have' and certain copulative verbs, followed by an infinitive) Not as of the time referenced.
In negative imperative use, asking for an action to be delayed.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Thus far; up to the present; up to some unspecified time.
Used this way, yet is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“I have yet to see the results.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “yet to …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: yet to …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use yet
- “I have yet to see the results.”adverb
- “He longed for the flowers that were yet to show themselves.”adverb
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: thus far
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.