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Glite Dictionary
not by a long sight

not by a long sight

9.3
Not true at all
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : ni de lejos
  • He thinks he's the best, but he's not by a long sight the smartest in the class.

Examples

  • She is not by a long sight the best player on the team.

  • This isn't finished not by a long sight, so we still have a lot of work to do.

  • The problem isn't solved not by a long sight; there's still much to be done.

  • That answer is not by a long sight correct!

  • The project is not by a long sight complete; we still have many tasks ahead.

  • He is not by a long sight the only candidate for the position; there are several others.

  • Their plan is not by a long sight ready for implementation, as we need more data.

Synonyms

not at all
vsnot by a long sight
331 1.0

In no way

emphasizes being far from true rather than mere absence
by no means
vsnot by a long sight
65 4.2

To say that something is not true or not possible at all

is more about being definitely far from true than formal denial
in no way, shape, or form
vsnot by a long sight
3 5.6

It is not true or possible in any way

stresses being far from true rather than forbidding action or permission
not hardly
vsnot by a long sight
  • Informal
1 8.8

Not true at all

is used to insist the claim is far from true rather than just denied
not a bit of it
vsnot by a long sight
  • Informal
8.1

Not true at all

stresses being far from true rather than small degrees of untruth
by no stretch of the imagination
vsnot by a long sight
  • Informal
8.1

Not true or possible in any way

says something is far from true rather than that it cannot be imagined

Antonyms

absolutely
∞ 1.0

Completely and without any doubt

by a long shot
  • Informal
9 4.1

By a much larger amount than others

How True

true
2 6.5
in part
374 2.2
false
715 1.0
not by a long sight
  • UK
9.3

Surface Forms

not by a long sight positive

Morphology

not + by + a + long + sight

The negation plus the pattern 'by a long ...' signals a large degree or distance (from 'long'), so a learner who knows the words could infer that it means 'definitely not' or 'not even close'. However, 'sight' does not contribute a literal, compositional sense here and the expression is a somewhat idiomatic variant of 'not by a long shot/way', so full meaning is not entirely predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Not by a long sight may come from the image of looking a long way with your sight and still not seeing it. That's why the phrase means 'definitely not' or 'far from true'.