English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

nativity

noun

The birth of Jesus Christ, or a scene or display representing it.

nato

noun

A tropical tree in the genus Mora, native to parts of Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Natsu

name

A Japanese given name, often used for both males and females, meaning "summer."

Natsuko

name

A Japanese feminine given name meaning "summer child."

Natsumi

name

A Japanese feminine given name, often interpreted as "beautiful summer."

natty

adj

Smart, neat, and stylishly dressed.

natural

adj

Existing in nature; not made or caused by people.

naturalist

noun

A person who studies plants, animals, and the natural world, often through direct observation.

naturally

adv

In a way that happens without artificial help or intervention.

nature

noun

The physical world and everything in it — plants, animals, landscapes, and natural forces — as distinct from human-made things.

naught

pron

Nothing; zero.

naughty

adj

Badly behaved or mischievous, especially describing a child.

nausea

noun

A queasy feeling in the stomach that often comes with the urge to vomit.

nauseated

adj

Feeling sick to your stomach, as if about to vomit.

nauseating

adj

Causing a feeling of sickness or disgust.

nauseous

adj

Feeling like you are about to vomit; queasy.

nautical

adj

Relating to ships, sailors, or sailing.

nautilus

noun

A sea mollusk with tentacles and a spiral shell divided into air-filled chambers.

nav

noun

Informal short form of "navigation," especially GPS or map-based guidance.

Nava

name

A given name and surname of Hebrew origin, meaning "beautiful" or "pleasant."

Navajo

noun

A member of the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American tribe in the United States, based mainly in the Southwest.

naval

adj

Relating to a country's navy or to warships.

Navarre

name

A historical kingdom and region straddling the border of Spain and France, now a province in northern Spain.

Navarro

name

A Spanish surname derived from Navarre, originally denoting someone from that region.

nave

noun

The long central hall of a church, where the congregation sits.

navel

noun

The small indentation on the belly where the umbilical cord was once attached.

Navid

name

A masculine given name of Persian origin, meaning "good news" or "glad tidings."

Navidad

name

A Spanish word meaning "Christmas," occasionally used as a given name or place name.

navigate

verb

To plan and follow a route or course while traveling.

navigation

noun

The process or skill of planning and following a course of travel.

navigational

adj

Relating to navigation.

navigator

noun

A person responsible for planning and guiding the course of a ship, aircraft, or vehicle.

Navigators

name

The Navigators, an international evangelical Christian organization founded in the United States in 1933.

Navin

name

A masculine given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "new."

navy

noun

A country's armed maritime military force.

nawab

noun

A Muslim ruler or provincial governor in historical South Asia, especially under the Mughal Empire.

nay

adv

An old-fashioned or formal way to say "no."

Naylor

name

An English surname, an occupational name for a maker of nails.

Nazarene

noun

A person from Nazareth, especially used historically to refer to Jesus or his early followers.

Nazareth

name

A city in northern Israel, known in the Bible as the childhood home of Jesus.

Nazca

name

A region and ancient culture in southern Peru, famous for the Nazca Lines, large geoglyphs etched into the desert.

Nazi

noun

A member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, which ruled Germany under Adolf Hitler from 1933 to 1945.

nazim

noun

An elected head of a local government district in Pakistan.

nazir

noun

The custodian or manager of an Islamic religious endowment (waqf).

Nazism

noun

The fascist ideology of Germany's Nazi Party, marked by extreme nationalism, racism, antisemitism, and Hitler's personal cult of leadership.

ne

adv

An archaic word meaning "not."

Neal

name

A male given name and surname, a variant of Neil, ultimately from the Irish name Niall.

Neanderthal

noun

A member of an extinct species of early human closely related to modern humans.

Neapolitan

adj

Relating to the Italian city of Naples.

near

adj

Physically close to something or someone.

nearby

adj

Close by; not far away.

nearer

adj

Comparative of near: less distant; closer.

nearest

adj

Superlative of near: closest in distance, time, or relation.

Nearing

name

An English surname derived from a place or personal name element meaning "near."

nearly

adv

Almost; very close to a particular amount, state, or outcome.

Neary

name

An Irish surname, an anglicized form of Ó Náraigh.

neat

adj

Tidy and orderly; clean in appearance.

neath

prep

Beneath; under (a poetic or dialectal shortening).

neatly

adv

In a tidy, careful, or well-organized manner.

neb

noun

A beak, snout, or nose — of a bird, animal, or (informally) a person.

Nebuchadnezzar

noun

An oversized wine bottle holding about 15 litres, equal to roughly 20 standard bottles.

nebula

noun

A vast cloud of gas and dust in space, often glowing or reflecting light from nearby stars.

necessarily

adv

As an unavoidable result; inevitably.

necessary

adj

Required or essential in order to achieve something or avoid a problem.

necessity

noun

The state of being required or unavoidable.

neck

noun

The part of the body connecting the head to the shoulders and trunk.

necking

noun

Informal: passionate kissing and cuddling.

necklace

noun

A piece of jewelry worn around the neck, often made of metal, beads, or gems.

neckline

noun

The shape and position of the edge of a garment around the neck.

necktie

noun

A long strip of fabric worn around the neck under a collar and tied at the front, typically with a suit.

necromancer

noun

Someone who practices necromancy: supposedly communicating with or raising the dead through magic.

necrosis

noun

The death of cells or tissue in the body, usually from injury, infection, or loss of blood supply.

nectar

noun

The sweet liquid produced by flowers to attract bees and other pollinators.

ned

noun

UK slang, chiefly Scottish: a young person associated with petty crime, aggressive behavior, and a particular sportswear-heavy style.

neddy

noun

Informal British: a donkey.

Nedra

name

A feminine given name, possibly derived by reversing the word "Arden."

nee

adj

Used before a woman's maiden name to show the name she was born with, before marriage.

need

noun

A requirement for something essential or important.

needed

adj

Required; necessary.

needful

adj

Necessary or required.

needing

verb

Present participle of need — currently requiring or lacking something necessary.

needle

noun

A thin, sharp tool used for sewing, injections, acupuncture, or piercing.

needlepoint

noun

A form of embroidery in which thread is stitched through a stiff canvas mesh to create a design.

Needles

name

A city in California, United States, located on the Colorado River near the Arizona border.

needless

adj

Not necessary; unwarranted.

needlessly

adv

In a way that is not necessary; without good reason.

needlework

noun

Sewing or embroidery work done with a needle, or the finished product of such work.

needs

adv

Of necessity (usually paired with "must," as in "must needs").

needy

adj

Lacking basic necessities; poor.

Neel

name

A given name and surname, an alternate spelling of Neil, or in South Asian contexts derived from a Sanskrit word meaning "blue."

Neely

name

A surname of Scottish and Irish origin, an anglicized form of Ó Néill.

nefarious

adj

Wicked or criminal, especially in a way that is notorious or widely condemned.

Nefertiti

name

An ancient Egyptian queen of the 14th century BC, chief consort of Pharaoh Akhenaten, known for her iconic painted bust.

Neff

name

A German surname derived from a word meaning "nephew" or "cousin."

negate

verb

To cancel out or make ineffective.

negative

adj

Expressing disapproval, pessimism, or something undesirable.

negatively

adv

In a way that causes harm or shows disapproval.

negativity

noun

A pessimistic or overly critical attitude.

neglect

verb

To fail to give proper care or attention to someone or something.

neglected

adj

Not given the care or attention needed; left in a poor state.

negligence

noun

A failure to take proper care, especially when it causes harm.

negligent

adj

Careless or failing to give proper attention, especially to duties or responsibilities.

negligible

adj

So small or unimportant that it can be ignored.

negotiable

adj

Open to discussion or change; not fixed.

negotiate

verb

To discuss something with others in order to reach an agreement.

negotiation

noun

Discussion aimed at reaching an agreement.

negotiator

noun

A person who negotiates, especially on someone else's behalf.

negro

noun

A dated and now offensive term for a Black person, once in common formal use but now considered outdated and inappropriate.

Negros

name

An island in the central Philippines, known for its sugar production.

Neha

name

A feminine given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "rain" or "love."

Nehru

name

An Indian surname, most notably borne by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India.

neigh

noun

The high-pitched cry made by a horse.

Neighbor

noun

A person who lives next door to you or nearby, especially in the same street or building.

neighborhood

noun

A district within a town or city, especially one where people live.

neighboring

adj

Located next to or close by.

Neighbors

noun

Plural of neighbor — people or places that live or sit close to one another.

neighbour

noun

A person who lives close by, especially next door.

neighbourhood

noun

A district within a town or city, especially one where people live.

neighing

noun

The sound a horse makes when it cries out.

Neil

name

A masculine given name of Irish origin, meaning "champion" or "cloud."

Neill

name

A surname and given name variant of Neil, of Irish origin.

Neiman

name

A surname of German and Jewish origin, related to "Neumann," meaning "new man."

neither

det

Not one and not the other, of two things.

Nel

name

A short form of names such as Eleanor or Helen, used chiefly in Dutch and Afrikaans.

Nell

name

A feminine given name, traditionally a short form of Eleanor or Helen.

Nelle

name

A feminine given name, a variant short form of Eleanor or Helen.

Nellie

name

A feminine given name, a diminutive form of Eleanor, Helen, or Ellen.

nelly

noun

A silly or foolish person (informal, dated).

nelson

noun

A wrestling hold in which one arm is forced up behind the opponent's back.

nemesis

noun

A person's worst enemy or greatest rival — someone who always seems to oppose or defeat them.

Nemo

noun

A clownfish, especially as a pop-culture reference.

nen

pronoun

A dialectal or informal way of saying "none."

nene

noun

The Hawaiian goose, a rare native bird that is the official state bird of Hawaii.

Neo

noun

A given name or nickname, often associated with the "chosen one" hacker character from the film The Matrix.

Neolithic

adj

Relating to the New Stone Age, the late prehistoric period marked by the rise of farming and polished stone tools.

neon

noun

A chemical element (symbol Ne) — a colorless, odorless noble gas that glows reddish-orange when electrified.

Nepal

noun

A country in South Asia, home to the Himalayas including Mount Everest, located between China and India.

nephew

noun

The son of one's brother or sister, or of one's sibling-in-law.

nepotism

noun

Giving jobs, favors, or advantages to relatives or close friends instead of choosing based on merit.

Neptune

noun

The eighth and outermost planet in the solar system, known for its deep blue color.

ner

interjection

A mocking exclamation used to gloat over someone else's mistake or misfortune.

nerd

noun

Someone who is highly intelligent or studious but socially awkward or introverted.

NERDS

noun

A set of technologies commonly used together to build web applications.

nerdy

adj

Resembling or characteristic of a nerd; intensely into intellectual or niche interests.

Neri

name

A given name and surname of Hebrew or Italian origin, meaning "my light" in Hebrew.

Nero

noun

The Roman emperor remembered for his cruelty and excess, and by extension, any tyrannical ruler.

nerve

noun

A fiber-like bundle in the body that carries signals between the brain and other parts of the body.

nervous

adj

Easily agitated, anxious, or worried, especially about an upcoming event.

nervously

adv

In a way that shows anxiety or unease.

nervousness

noun

The state of feeling anxious, uneasy, or apprehensive.