Never means at no time in the past or at no time in the future. I have never lost the weight I put on in my teens. Never had he been so free of worry. That was a mistake. We'll never do it again.
The meaning of NEVER is not ever : at no time. How to use never in a sentence.
Definition of never adverb in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
NEVER definition: 1. not at any time or not on any occasion: 2. used as a way of saying "never" with extra emphasis…. Learn more.
There are 20 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word never, four of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
never, adv. & int. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary
The adverb never means "at no time," or "not at all." If you're never going to win a Monopoly game against your brother, you won't beat him next week, next year, or when you're both 80 years old.
In informal speech and writing, never can be used instead of not with the simple past tenses of certain verbs for emphasis (I never said that; I never realized how clever he was), but this usage should be avoided in serious writing
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition. adverb Not ever; on no occasion; at no time. adverb Not at all; in no way; absolutely not. idiom (never mind) Don't bother. idiom (never mind) Not to mention; and certainly not. from The Century Dictionary.