by no means
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by no means
Not in any way; not at all; absolutely not. A: "Tell me the truth: you thought that the play was awful." B: "By no means! It wasn't perfect, but I definitely enjoyed it." By no means shall our country be drawn into yet another war overseas.
by no means
absolutely not; certainly not. I'm by no means angry with you. Bob: Did you put this box here? Tom: By no means. I didn't do it, I'm sure.
by no means
Also, not by any means. In no way, certainly not. For example, He is by no means a weak opponent, or Not by any means will I go along with that decision. [Late 1400s]
by ˈno (manner of) means
,not by ˈany (manner of) means
in no way at all; definitely not: She is by no means poor, believe me. She only pretends to be. ♢ He hasn’t won yet, not by any manner of means.by no means
In no sense; certainly not: This remark by no means should be taken lightly.