English · Word Candidate

shouldn't

/ˈʃʊdənt/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: shouldn'ts

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Should not (negative auxiliary)

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Không nên

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

Examples

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

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Something that should not be done.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Điều không nên làm

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

NounRegister: informal

Examples

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.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “shouldn't” mean?

Should not (negative auxiliary)

Is “shouldn't” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.