What does the word nevermore mean in the raven?

Poe uses the word nevermore eleven times always at the end of a stanza. The literal meaning of nevermore is not happening again or never again. In the poem the raven uses nevermore to answer the narrator’s questions. … ‘ Then the bird said ‘Nevermore’” He inquires whether the bird will leave him…show more content…

Why did the raven only say nevermore?

The bird’s refrain, “nevermore,” is an inarguable absolute, meaning that nothing can change about the speaker’s situation. Because the speaker only asks the raven questions about Lenore after he establishes that the bird will always say “nevermore,” his pleas for mercy act as a self-fulfilling prophecy of despair.