What does "yet" mean?
A metal pan or boiler; yetling.
Yet
/jɛt/ adv, conj, noun, verb
adv, conj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A metal pan or boiler; yetling.
- Grammar: yet is listed as adv, conj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: hitherto, however, nevertheless, nonetheless.
- Useful contrasts: conceptual category, already, and.
- Usage evidence: And yet, the contrary is always true as well.
How to use "yet"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "yet" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "yet" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "yet" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "yet" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "yet" is acting as adv, conj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "hitherto" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "yet", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A metal pan or boiler; yetling. dialectal
Verb
- 1 To pour. obsolete
"[…] & stablenes of perseueraunce; graunt me for all wor[l]dly consolacyons the swete, gracyous vnccyon of the holy goost, & for all carnall loue"
- 2 To get. West-Country, nonstandard
- 3 To melt; found; cast (e.g. metal, by pouring it into a mould when molten). dialectal, obsolete
"[…] whiche shall present him selfe openly stained or embrued with sondry colours, or poudered with the duste of stones that he cutteth, or perfumed with tedious sauours of the metalles by him yoten."
Adverb
- 1 Thus far; up to the present; up to some unspecified time.; In negative or interrogative use, often with an expectation or potential of something happening in the future. not-comparable
"I haven't finished yet."
- 2 Thus far; up to the present; up to some unspecified time.; In negative imperative use, asking for an action to be delayed. not-comparable
"Don't switch it on yet – wait until I've reconnected the pump."
- 3 Thus far; up to the present; up to some unspecified time.; In affirmative use: still. archaic, not-comparable, poetic
"He is yet breathing. (He is still breathing.)"
- 4 At some future time; eventually. not-comparable
"The riddle will be solved yet."
- 5 Not as of the time referenced. not-comparable, with-infinitive
"I’ve yet to see him. — I have not yet seen him."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 In addition. not-comparable
"There are two hours yet to go until our destination."
- 7 Even. not-comparable
"K-2 is yet higher than this."
Adverb
- 1 to a greater degree or extent; used with comparisons wordnet
- 2 despite anything to the contrary (usually preceding a concession) wordnet
- 3 up to the present time wordnet
- 4 used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time wordnet
- 5 used after a superlative wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 within an indefinite time or at an unspecified future time wordnet
Conjunction
- 1 Nevertheless; however; but; despite that.
"I thought I knew you, yet how wrong was I!"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"And yet, the contrary is always true as well."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "yet"?
Common synonyms include: hitherto, however, nevertheless, nonetheless, so far, still.
How do you use "yet" in a sentence?
And yet, the contrary is always true as well.
How do you pronounce "yet"?
Pronounced /jɛt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Inherited from Middle English yet, yit, from Old English ġīet, gȳta, from Proto-West Germanic *jūta, from Proto-Germanic *juta (compare West Frisian jit, jitte (“yet”), Dutch ooit (“ever”), German jetzt (“now”)), compound of (1) *ju (“already”, adverb), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yew-, accusative of *h₂óyu (“long time”) and (2) the Proto-Germanic *ta (“to, towards”), from Proto-Indo-European *do. More at aye and -th.
Etymology 2
Inherited from Middle English yeten, from Old English ġēotan (“to flow, pour”), from Proto-West Germanic *geutan, from Proto-Germanic *geutaną (“to flow, pour”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- (“to pour”). Cognate with Scots yat (“to pour, yet”), West Frisian jitte (“to scatter, shed, pour”), Dutch gieten (“to pour, cast, mould”), German gießen (“to pour, cast, mould”), Swedish gjuta (“to pour, cast”). Doublet of yote.
Etymology 3
Inherited from Middle English yeten, ȝeten, from Old English ġietan, from Proto-Germanic *getaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰed-. More at get.