Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for No comment for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "No-Comment" — phrase, pronounced /nəʊ ˈkɒmɛnt/, with the stress on "com".
Narrator: No-comment means I have nothing to say, or I refuse to comment.
Narrator: In plain English, no comment is what you say when you won't answer — like a politician saying no comment to a journalist.
Narrator: It comes from the words no, from the Old English nā, and comment, from the Latin commentum, meaning a note.
Narrator: "No comment" describes a refusal to answer a question or make a statement.
Narrator: It differs from I don't know because no-comment is a refusal, whereas I don't know is an admission.
Narrator: "To say no comment" is a sense meaning to refuse to answer a question.
Narrator: Journalism, politics, law, public relations and everyday speech all rely on the phrase no-comment.
Narrator: So remember: no-comment means no answer, from no and comment.
Speaker A: What does no-comment mean?
Speaker B: No answer! NO-COMMENT combines no and comment, from the Latin commentum, a note, so it means I have nothing to say or I refuse to comment.
Speaker A: So politicians say no comment?
Speaker B: Yes — to avoid answering!
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "No comment"; "to say no comment"; "declined to comment" — refusal, action and formal.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Don't confuse no-comment with no idea, because no-comment is a refusal, while no idea means I don't know.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: 'I refuse to comment' the formal cousin, 'no idea' the ignorant twin, 'nothing to say' the plain alternative. The phrase keeps its silent charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "no-comment" in AI prompts — useful for journalism apps and PR tools.
Speaker A: So a prompt could frame journalism?
Speaker B: Right. For a journalism app, you'd write:
Prompt: Write a short guide to no-comment, naming two situations.
Speaker A: How about a PR tool?
Speaker B: Ask the model to advise:
Prompt: Draft a guide to handling no-comment, naming two strategies.
Speaker A: Could it help with a law bot?
Speaker B: Yes, you can frame silence:
Prompt: Summarise in two sentences why people say no-comment, naming one reason.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: For a media chatbot, try this:
Prompt: Write a short note on no-comment in interviews, naming one example.
No comment — meaning in Arabic & definition More N courses GL Dictionary