had indeed not been

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "had indeed not been" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to emphasize the negation of a past event or state, often in a formal or literary context. Example: "The results of the experiment had indeed not been what we expected, leading to further investigation."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

On the walk home that night, I realized I had indeed not been listening.

Columbia University

Top military officials, who had indeed not been consulted, were taken by surprise.

The Washington Post

Having failed to talk it out of the strike, ministers, including both the finance minister, Luis Raul Matos Azocar, and the planning minister, Teodoro Petkoff, gave the protest a lukewarm endorsement, arguing that the promised wage rises had indeed not been made.

The Economist

Although one map Tuesday night showed the Upper East Side streets had indeed not been as plowed as other neighborhoods, Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty explained that one salt-spreader's broken GPS system caused the PlowNYC map not to update on time.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

NHS spending has, indeed, not been cut.

Independent

The officials of the United States Soccer Federation called a press conference in the wee small hours of this morning to insist that Sampson has indeed not been dismissed, but that a decision will be made within 30 days.

The New York Times - Sports

Others will maintain, less robustly, that while autonomy has, indeed, not been part of every tradition, this fact raises few problems in a world where everybody is increasingly coming round to the liberal celebration of autonomy.

The New York Times - Books

While the complete essay has indeed not been published, portions of it, including the paragraph cited in the article, were published in 1986 in the collection "The Adding Machine".

The New York Times

I cannot believe that you are unaware of the exact status of the case and of the fact that your friend Roman Polanski has, indeed, not been above the law for the past thirty-three years!

Huffington Post

Intermediate forms have, indeed, not been found.

Biology Open

This Government has indeed not been in a position to exercise, since the time of its establishment in 1949, the membership rights in FAO and has been prevented from making its contribution to the achievement of the aims of the Organization.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had indeed not been" to emphasize that something expected or implied did not occur, adding a layer of surprise or contradiction to the statement.

Common error

Avoid using "had indeed not been" in casual conversation or informal writing. The phrase's formality can sound stilted or unnatural in such settings.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had indeed not been" functions as a past perfect negative statement with emphasis. The word "indeed" amplifies the negation, highlighting a contrast between expectation and reality, as supported by Ludwig AI.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Academia

20%

Science

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "had indeed not been" is a grammatically correct phrase used to emphatically negate a past event or state. As Ludwig AI confirms, it appears most frequently in News & Media, Academia, and Science, suggesting a neutral to formal register. While less common in everyday conversation, it serves to emphasize the negation of something that was expected or assumed. Consider simpler alternatives in informal contexts to avoid sounding stilted.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had certainly not been

Replaces "indeed" with "certainly" for stronger emphasis on the negation.

had truly not been

Substitutes "indeed" with "truly" to reinforce the genuineness of the negation.

had actually not been

Uses "actually" instead of "indeed" to highlight the unexpected nature of the negation.

had in fact not been

Replaces "indeed" with "in fact" to provide a more factual or confirmatory tone to the negation.

had definitely not been

Employs "definitely" instead of "indeed" to express a more conclusive negation.

had really not been

Uses "really" instead of "indeed" for a slightly less formal emphasis on the negation.

had veritably not been

Replaces "indeed" with "veritably" for a more archaic or formal emphasis on the negation.

had demonstrably not been

Employs "demonstrably" instead of "indeed" to emphasize the provable nature of the negation.

had plainly not been

Substitutes "indeed" with "plainly" to highlight the obviousness of the negation.

had clearly not been

Uses "clearly" instead of "indeed" to emphasize the unambiguous nature of the negation.

FAQs

What does "had indeed not been" mean?

The phrase "had indeed not been" emphasizes that something expected or assumed to be true was, in fact, not the case. It is a more emphatic way of saying "had not been".

When is it appropriate to use "had indeed not been"?

Use "had indeed not been" in formal writing or speech when you want to strongly emphasize that something did not happen or was not the case, contrary to expectations. For example: "The promised wage rises "had indeed not been made"."

Are there simpler alternatives to "had indeed not been"?

Yes, alternatives include "had certainly not been", "had truly not been", or simply "had not been", depending on the desired level of emphasis.

Is "had indeed not been" grammatically correct?

Yes, "had indeed not been" is grammatically correct. The structure follows standard English past perfect tense with an adverb ("indeed") to add emphasis.