Words beginning with N

143 words

• nab — to catch or arrest a wrongdoer
• nadir — the lowest point in a person’s fortunes or a process
• nag — to keep complaining or reminding in an irritating way
• naive — lacking experience and too ready to believe
• naivety — lack of experience or judgement; unguarded simplicity
• narcotic — a drug that dulls the senses and whose trade is regulated by law
• narrate — to give a spoken or written account of events
• narrative — an account of connected events; the way a story is framed
• nascent — just coming into existence and beginning to develop
• nationalisation — the transfer of a private industry or bank into state ownership
• nationalise — to transfer a private industry to state ownership
• nationalism — strong identification with one’s own nation
• nationalist — a person devoted to the interests and independence of the nation
• nationality — the legal status of belonging to a particular country
• nationhood — the condition of being a single united nation
• nationwide — extending throughout the whole country
• native — belonging to a place by birth or natural origin
• natural justice — the minimum fair procedure a decision-maker owes a party — a hearing before an unbiased…
• naturalisation — the process by which a foreigner is granted citizenship
• naturalist — a person who studies plants and animals in the field
• nature — the essential character or type of a thing
• nautical — relating to ships, sailors and movement at sea
• naval — relating to a navy or to warships
• navigable — deep and wide enough for boats and ships to pass through
• navigate — to find a way through a difficult route or process
• navigation — the directing of vessels along a route; the movement of traffic on water
• navy — the branch of the armed forces that operates at sea
• nay — a vote or answer of refusal, especially in a legislature
• naysayer — a person who habitually opposes or doubts a proposal
• nebulous — vague and lacking definite form
• necessitate — to make something necessary as a consequence
• necessity — something indispensable; the state of being needed
• needy — lacking the basic means of living
• nefarious — wicked and criminal in intent
• negate — to nullify or make ineffective
• negation — the denial or cancelling out of something
• negative — expressing refusal; harmful or unfavourable in effect
• neglect — to fail to give proper care or attention
• negligence — failure to take proper care, resulting in damage
• negligent — failing to take proper care over something
• negligible — so small as not to be worth considering
• negotiable — open to discussion; (of an instrument) transferable to another holder
• negotiate — to discuss in order to reach an agreement
• negotiation — discussion aimed at reaching an agreement
• negotiator — a person who conducts discussions on behalf of a side to reach agreement
• neighbourhood — a locality and the people living in it
• neighbouring — situated next to or very near something
• nemesis — the agent of a person’s downfall; long-deserved retribution
• neonatal — relating to a child in the first weeks after birth
• nepotism — favouritism shown to one’s own relatives
• net — remaining after all deductions have been made
• net-zero — a state in which emissions released are balanced by emissions removed
• network — an interconnected system of places, people or services
• neutral — not supporting either side in a dispute
• neutralisation — the act of counteracting something so that it ceases to have effect
• neutralise — to counteract the effect of something
• neutrality — the state of not taking sides
• nevertheless — in spite of what has just been said
• nexus — a connection or link, often an improper one
• niche — a small specialised segment of a market or role
• nil — nothing at all; a return showing a zero figure
• nimble — quick and light in movement or thought
• no-confidence — a formal declaration that the House no longer supports the government
• no-detention — the policy of not holding a pupil back in the same class
• nocturnal — active or occurring during the night
• nod — an informal approval or clearance given to a proposal
• node — a point in a network at which routes or services meet
• noise — unwanted loud sound, treated in law as a pollutant
• nomad — a member of a community that moves from place to place for a living
• nomadic — moving from place to place rather than settling
• nomenclature — a system of names used in a field
• nominal — in name only; very small in amount
• nominate — to propose someone formally for a post or award
• nomination — the formal proposal of a candidate
• nominee — a person named to receive a benefit or hold a post
• non-alignment — the policy of not joining any of the rival military blocs
• non-committal — not expressing a definite opinion or promise
• non-compliance — failure to obey a rule, order or condition
• non-cooperation — organised refusal to cooperate with an authority as a form of protest
• non-disclosure — the withholding of information that is meant to be kept confidential
• non-discrimination — the principle of treating persons equally without unfair distinction
• non-governmental — not run or controlled by the government
• non-negotiable — not open to discussion or compromise
• non-partisan — not favouring any political party or faction
• non-payment — failure to pay a sum that has fallen due
• non-performing — yielding no return; (of a loan) on which repayment has stopped
• non-profit — not conducted for the purpose of making a profit
• non-recurring — happening once and not repeated in later years
• non-renewable — existing in a fixed quantity and not replaced once used
• non-resident — not living in the country for the period the law prescribes
• non-statutory — not created by an Act of the legislature
• non-violence — the principle of pursuing a political end without the use of force
• nonchalance — a calm lack of concern about something serious
• nonchalant — calmly unconcerned when concern is expected
• nondescript — lacking any distinctive feature
• nonetheless — in spite of that
• norm — a standard of behaviour that is expected
• normalcy — the state of things being usual again
• normalisation — the process of bringing a situation or a relationship back to normal
• normalise — to bring back to a regular or standard state
• normative — laying down what ought to be, rather than describing what is
• nostalgia — a sentimental longing for the past
• nostalgic — fondly longing for an earlier time
• notable — worthy of attention; a person of distinction
• notarise — to certify a document formally through a notary
• notary — an officer authorised by law to attest documents and administer oaths
• noteworthy — deserving to be mentioned
• noticeable — easily seen or clearly felt
• notifiable — required by law to be reported to a designated authority
• notification — a formal published announcement by government
• notify — to inform formally, or to declare by notification
• noting — a written remark recorded by an official on a file
• notion — an idea or belief about something
• notional — existing only in theory or on paper
• notoriety — the state of being famous for something bad
• notorious — famous for something bad
• notwithstanding — in spite of; despite
• nourish — to provide with food, or to foster a feeling
• nourishment — the food and care needed to grow and stay healthy
• novation — the replacement of one contract or party by a new one with consent
• novel — new and original in an interesting way
• novelty — the quality of being new; a new thing that soon loses interest
• novice — a beginner
• noxious — harmful or poisonous
• nuance — a very small difference in meaning or expression
• nuanced — showing fine shades of meaning or difference
• nuclear — relating to energy released from the nucleus of an atom
• nucleus — the central and most important part around which others gather
• nudge — to prompt someone gently towards an action
• nugatory — of no value or effect; futile
• nuisance — a person or thing causing inconvenience or annoyance
• null — having no legal force whatever
• nullification — the act of making something legally void
• nullify — to make something legally void
• nullity — something that has no legal existence at all
• numeracy — the ability to understand and work with numbers
• numerical — expressed in or relating to numbers
• numerous — existing in large numbers
• nursery — a place where young plants are raised until they are fit to be planted out
• nurture — to care for and encourage the growth of something
• nutrient — a substance that provides nourishment to a body or a soil
• nutrition — the process of obtaining food necessary for health
• nutritious — providing the substances needed for good health