So Much Ado About... 'Nevermind'

By Vincent R. Pozon

Of Squiggly Red Lines

"Barely a kilometer from home, I am in deep traffic. But nevermind; we gave it enough time," so I wrote and was stopped by the computer asking for a fix.

Now I have always wondered about that word. All the word processors will underline “nevermind” with a squiggly red line. Invariably they will suggest I break up the word to “never mind”, or add a hyphen. It feels as if the world is telling me that the word I have used since childhood does not exist.

Where Google and dictionaries fail, there's AI. So I asked Claude, or, to be proper, Claude 3.5 Sonata, about it.

"For some reason I have used the word "Nevermind" all my life. So I do not understand why dictionaries do not comprehend it, word processors always underscore it as something to repair or replace with another word. Usually dictionaries will tell you if a word is no longer used, but they will still list it."

"I use it alone, as a word in a sentence, which makes it different from 'never mind', which would require an object. I have always thought that, alone, it had/has a different meaning."

Claude concurred: "Your observation is astute and highlights an important distinction. You're right that there can be a difference in usage and meaning between "nevermind" as a single word and "never mind" as two words. Let's explore this:

'Nevermind' as a single word:

Often used as an interjection or a standalone statement.
Can mean 'forget it' or 'it doesn't matter.'
Example: 'Are you coming to the party?' 'Nevermind, I can't make it.'

'Never mind' as two words:

Usually used as part of a longer phrase or with an object.
Often means 'don't concern yourself with' or 'pay no attention to.'
Example: 'Never mind the details, just give me the big picture.'

"Your usage of 'nevermind' as a standalone word in a sentence aligns with the growing trend of using it as a distinct term with its own nuanced meaning. It's become a concise way to dismiss a previous statement or question, often carrying a slightly different connotation than 'never mind.'"

Now I am an obedient person — kung mali, baguhin, huwag gamitin. Obey authority, defer to their judgement.

But no. Not with this word. I especially love it; I know of no word that adequately captures the humph it has when I banish a bother or forgo a pleasure; the sigh when I resign myself to a reality, say, the quagmire that is the politics of this country.

I love how “nevermind” looks and works, so I will reject the world’s guidance, and, instead, I will tell all the word processors I use to “learn” the word.

So there. Microsoft, Pages, Keynote, Simplenote et al now have “nevermind” in its lexicon.