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Formation: Plain form (V / い-adj) + とは限らない; N / な-adj + (だ) + とは限らない

〜とは限らない is a partial negation. It says that something people tend to assume is not always true and that exceptions exist. It often appears with 必ずしも, いつも, 誰もが, or after 〜からといって. You will hear it in conversation and read it in writing alike, and it sounds calm and reasonable rather than argumentative. 〜わけではない denies a conclusion the listener might draw from what was just said, and 〜というものではない rejects a too-simple rule (often 'just doing X doesn't guarantee Y') more firmly. Do not confuse it with 〜ないとも限らない, which means 'it could happen, so be careful'.

Variants: とは限りません、とは限らず、必ずしも〜とは限らない

Examples

• 値段の高い薬がよく効くとは限らない。
  Expensive medicine doesn't necessarily work better.
• 専門家の意見が必ずしも正しいとは限らない。
  Experts' opinions are not always right.
• 日本人だからといって、敬語が上手だとは限らない。
  Just because someone is Japanese doesn't mean they're good at keigo.

In real texts 0 occurrence(s)

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