oughtn't've

English

Etymology

oughtn't +‎ -'ve.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɔːt(ə)n(t)ə(v)/

Contraction

oughtn't've

1. (UK, colloquial or dialectal) ought not to have
   • 2000, Richard Wright, The long dream:

     "Hell, mebbe we oughtn't've done that." Tony was regretful.

See also

• couldn't've
• shouldn't've
• wouldn't've