# never the twain shall meet

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/never-the-twain-shall-meet
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Used to emphasize that two subjects are so different that they cannot coexist or agree with each other.

## Examples

- Their opinions are so different that never the twain shall meet.
- The two political parties have such opposing views on the budget that it seems never the twain shall meet.
- Despite their shared history, the two scholars held such fundamentally incompatible philosophies that it was clear never the twain shall meet in their academic conclusions.

## Origin

Coined by the English author and poet Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) in his poem The Ballad of East and West (1889).

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.