not to say

English

Conjunction

not to say

1. Even; perhaps; almost.
   • c. 1962, Jacqueline Shohet Kahanoff, “Wake of the Waves”, in Deborah A. Starr, Sasson Somekh, editors, Mongrels Or Marvels, Stanford University Press, published 2011, →ISBN, page 145:

     At first Marc was somewhat shocked, then he burst out laughing and finally came to the conclusion that actually it was all rather sad, not to say stupid.

Translations

even; perhaps; almost

• Dutch: om niet te zeggen
• French: pour ne pas dire (fr)
• Polish: żeby nie powiedzieć

Phrase

not to say

1. Used to clarify a statement: not intended to mean.
   • 2024 June 26, Stephanie McNeal, “Influencers Aren’t Getting Famous Like They Used To”, in Glamour‎^[1]:

     “Without an engaged audience, there’s no route to stardom.” ¶ That’s not to say that Sophie thinks the internet celebrity is dead. They may just have to work a little harder for it.

See also

• not that
• that is to say

 

Further reading

• “that’s not to say”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.