aren't

[ahrnt, ahr-uhnt]

1. contraction of are not.

2. contraction of am not (used interrogatively).

aren't

/ ɑːnt /

contraction

1. are not

2. informal,  (used in interrogative sentences) am not

Usage

The social unacceptability of ain't, the historical contraction of am not, has created a gap in the pattern of verbal contractions. I'm not, the alternative to I ain't, has no corresponding interrogative form except ain't I. In questions, ain't I is often avoided by the use of aren't I: I'm right, aren't I? Aren't I on the list? This aren't is simply a different outcome of the same historical development that yielded ain't, but the fact that it is spelled and pronounced like the contraction of are not (as in You are staying, aren't you? ) apparently gives it, for some, an acceptability that ain't lacks. The use of aren't I is objected to by others because a declarative counterpart, I aren't, does not exist. Many speakers, however, prefer aren't I to the uncontracted, rather formal am I not. See also ain't, contraction.

Word History and Origins

Origin of aren't¹

As contraction of am not, a doublet of ain't (without raising of the vowel), spelling aren't by r-less speakers; ar was later substituted for the long a by speakers who regularly pronounce pre-consonantal r

Example Sentences

The industry is also small because its biggest players aren’t really in the digital detox business.

From Slate

This is Judge Burroughs standing up for her colleagues, like Judge Young, and telling Gorsuch and Kavanaugh: You aren’t even explaining yourselves most of the time and you have the gall to accuse us of defying your orders?

From Slate

“I don’t think Jimmy Gomez can say, with a straight face, that his decisions in office aren’t overwhelmingly shaped by the corporate lobbies that fund him,” Gonzales-Torres said.

From Salon

We’d love to live in a united country where we aren’t forced to have regional responses to serious health problems because our federal government denies science.

From Salon

“Any time we have conflicting guidelines, guidelines that aren’t very clear, I think it makes it more difficult for everyone to access vaccines. And that’s a real problem,” Singh said.

From Los Angeles Times