English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

ninth

adj

Coming after eight others in a sequence; 9th.

Niobe

noun

(literary) A woman overwhelmed by grief, especially one weeping endlessly for lost children.

niobium

noun

A light grey, ductile metallic element with the symbol Nb and atomic number 41, used in superconducting materials.

nip

verb

To pinch or bite quickly and lightly.

nipcheese

noun

Another word for a miser.

nipper

noun

(informal, British) A young child.

nipping

noun

A quick pinch or bite.

nipple

noun

The small raised point on a breast through which a mother's milk can flow.

Nippon

name

Japan, especially as used in formal or patriotic contexts.

nipponic

adj

Relating to Japan; Japanese.

nippy

adj

(informal) Uncomfortably cold.

Niro

name

A surname of Italian origin, most familiar from the actor Robert De Niro.

nirvana

noun

In Buddhism and Hinduism, the state of perfect peace reached by escaping suffering and desire.

nis

noun

In Scandinavian folklore, a small household spirit or hobgoblin said to live on a farm.

nish

noun

A shortened form of Anishinaabe or Nishnaabe.

Nisha

name

A female given name of Indian origin.

nishi

noun

In sumo wrestling, the west side of the ranking list, considered the less prestigious of the two sides.

Nishida

name

A Japanese surname meaning "west rice paddy."

Nishimura

name

A Japanese surname meaning "west village."

nisibis

name

Another name for Nusaybin, a city in south-eastern Turkey.

Nissan

name

A major Japanese automobile manufacturer.

Nisse

name

A masculine given name common in Scandinavia, a short form of Nils, and also the name of a household spirit in Nordic folklore.

nisus

noun

A strong effort or drive to reach a particular goal.

nit

noun

The tiny egg of a louse, or the young louse itself, often found stuck to hair.

nithing

noun

A cowardly or despicable person.

nitpick

verb

To complain about small, unimportant faults or mistakes.

nitpicking

noun

The careful work of removing nits, the eggs of lice, from someone's hair.

nitpicky

adj

Overly critical or fussy about small, unimportant details.

nitrate

noun

A chemical compound formed from nitric acid, commonly used in fertilizers and preservatives.

nitric

adj

Relating to or containing nitrogen.

nitride

noun

A compound formed when nitrogen bonds with another element and carries a −3 oxidation state.

nitrile

noun

Any organic compound with a carbon-nitrogen triple bond, named after the acid it comes from.

nitro

noun

Short for nitroglycerin, especially as an explosive or as heart medication.

nitrocellulosic

adj

Connected with or involving nitrocellulose.

nitrogen

noun

The chemical element with symbol N, a colorless, odorless gas that makes up most of Earth's atmosphere.

nitrous

adj

Relating to or derived from nitrogen, especially in a lower-valence chemical form than "nitric" compounds.

nitty

adj

Covered in nits, the eggs of lice.

nitty-gritty

noun

The most basic and practical details of a matter, reached once the general discussion is out of the way.

nitwit

noun

A foolish or scatterbrained person.

nitwitted

adj

Silly or stupid, like a nitwit.

niu

noun

A tall ceremonial pole hung with ropes, used in a Māori religious and resistance movement of the 19th century.

nival

adj

Covered in snow, especially used to describe places where certain plants grow.

nix

noun

Nothing, zero.

Nixon

name

An English surname, most famously borne by Richard Nixon, the 37th US President.

nixson

name

A family name that began as a patronymic.

nkvd

name

The People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs — the Soviet interior ministry known for its secret police, forerunner of the KGB.

nm

abbreviation

Not much; the standard reply in texting to "what are you doing?" or "what's up?".

No

det

Not any; none at all.

no bueno

adjective

Bad, unacceptable or a poor idea; used lightly in English to mark something as not good.

no cap

phrase

No lie; used to insist that what you are saying is completely true.

no doubt

adverb

Very probably; used to show that the speaker assumes something is true without being able to prove it.

no matter

conjunction

Used before how, what, where, when or who to say that something stays true whatever the circumstances.

no problem

phrase

You are welcome; a casual reply to thanks, indicating the favour cost the speaker nothing.

no strings attached

phrase

Without conditions, obligations or hidden requirements.

no worries

phrase

That is fine; a relaxed reply used to accept thanks, wave off an apology or reassure someone.

no-frills

adjective

Offering only the basic service or product, with extras stripped out to keep the price low.

Noa

adj

Not under taboo; safe to say or use in place of a forbidden word or sacred name (used in anthropology, especially of Polynesian custom).

noachian

adj

Relating to the biblical figure Noah or to his era.

Noah

name

A figure in Abrahamic religious tradition said to have built an ark to survive a great flood.

Noam

name

A male given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "pleasantness."

nob

noun

A informal, often mildly mocking British term for a wealthy or upper-class person.

nobble

verb

To harm or hold someone back on purpose.

nobby

adj

Stylish, smart, or fashionable in an upper-class way (informal, dated British).

Nobel

noun

Short for the Nobel Prize, one of the annual international awards for outstanding work in fields such as physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace.

nobelium

noun

A transuranic chemical element with the symbol No and atomic number 102.

nobility

noun

The aristocratic social class, historically holding hereditary titles and privilege.

noble

noun

A member of the aristocracy.

nobleman

noun

A male member of the aristocracy, ranking anywhere from baron up to prince.

nobleness

noun

The quality of being noble, honourable, or grand.

Nobles

name

An English surname derived from the word "noble," originally denoting someone of high rank or a person in a noble's service.

noblesse

noun

The state or quality of having a noble character.

noblewoman

noun

A woman of noble rank, particularly one who is a member of the peerage; a Lady.

nobly

adv

In a noble, honorable manner.

nobody

pron

Not any person; no one.

Nobuko

name

A Japanese feminine given name meaning "faithful child" or "trusting child."

Nobunaga

name

A masculine given name, most famously borne by Oda Nobunaga, a powerful daimyo who began the unification of Japan in the 16th century.

NOC

noun

Network operations centre: the room or team that monitors a company's networks and servers around the clock and responds to outages.

nocebo

noun

A harmless substance that makes a patient feel worse simply because they expect it to.

nocent

adj

Likely to cause harm.

nocturnal

adj

Mainly active at night rather than during the day.

nocuous

adj

Able to cause harm or damage.

nod

verb

To move the head up and down, usually to show agreement or acknowledgment.

Noda

name

A Japanese surname meaning "field of paddies."

nodding

noun

The act of moving the head up and down.

noddy

noun

A foolish or stupid person.

node

noun

A device connected to a computer network, such as a server or workstation.

nodule

noun

A small rounded or oddly shaped mass; a little lump or knot.

Noel

noun

A traditional Christmas carol or hymn.

noele

name

A female first name of French, of rare usage, variant of Noelle origin.

noeleen

name

A female first name of French, a 20th century variant of Noelle origin.

Noelle

name

A feminine given name of French origin, often given to girls born around Christmas.

noema

noun

(philosophy) The object of thought exactly as it is perceived by the mind.

noesis

noun

The process of thinking or using the mind to understand things.

noetic

adj

Relating to the mind or to thinking.

nog

noun

A small block of wood built into a wall or structure, used as a support.

Nogales

name

A pair of twin border cities, one in Arizona, United States, and one in Sonora, Mexico.

noggin

noun

A small cup, mug, or ladle, or the amount it holds.

Noh

noun

A classical, highly stylized form of Japanese musical theatre, or a single play performed in that style.

noir

adj

Relating to film noir or its dark, morally ambiguous atmosphere.

noirette

noun

A person with black hair, usually a woman.

noirish

adj

Having the visual style or mood typical of film noir.

noise

noun

A sound, especially one that is loud, unwanted, or unpleasant.

noiseless

adj

Making no sound at all.

noiselessly

adv

Quietly, without making any sound.

noiselessness

noun

The state of making no sound; complete quiet.

noisemaker

noun

A person or object that makes a lot of noise, often used at parties or sports events.

noisily

adv

In a loud or noisy manner.

noisome

adj

Harmful or damaging in a moral sense.

noisy

adj

Making a loud or unpleasant sound.

Nokia

noun

A phone made by the Finnish company Nokia, once famous for its tough, long-lasting handsets.

nola

noun

A tiny bell rung during a church consecration ceremony.

Nolan

noun

An Irish surname, and a first name derived from it.

nom

interjection

Used playfully to express the sound or joy of eating.

noma

noun

A severe gangrenous infection that destroys tissue, usually around the mouth and face.

nomad

noun

Someone who has no permanent home and moves from place to place, especially herding animals between pastures.

nomadic

adjective

Relating to nomads or a wandering way of life.

nome

noun

A regional administrative district, especially in modern Greece or ancient Egypt.

nomenclature

noun

The system of names used in a particular field, and the rules that govern how those names are formed.

nominal

adjective

Existing in name only, rather than in reality or practice.

nominalism

noun

The philosophical view that general ideas are just names we give to groups of real things, and do not exist on their own.

nominally

adv

Officially or in name, but not always in reality.

nominate

verb

To formally propose someone as a candidate for a role, award, or position.

nominated

adjective

Having been put forward as a candidate for an award, role, or position.

nomination

noun

The act of proposing someone as a candidate, or the proposal itself.

nominative

adjective

Relating to the grammatical case of a noun or pronoun that marks it as the subject of a finite verb.

nominee

noun

A person put forward as a candidate for an office, award, or position.

Nomura

name

A Japanese surname, also well known as the name of a major financial services company.

non

noun

A non-Muslim citizen, chiefly in historical or legal contexts.

non sequitur

noun

A statement or reply that does not follow logically from what came before, so that the connection is missing or absurd.

non-denominational

adjective

Not tied to any one branch or denomination of a religion, and open to people of different traditions.

non-fiction

noun

Writing about real people, events and facts rather than invented ones, covering history, biography, science, memoir, journalism and reference.

Nona

noun

In Roman mythology, one of the three Fates, who spins the thread of a person's life.

nonabhorrent

adj

Not disliked strongly; acceptable.

nonaccompanied

adj

Describes something that does not allow extra people to join in.

nonacquittal

noun

The fact of not being acquitted; a failure to clear someone of a charge.

nonactive

adj

Not active; not doing anything.

nonaddict

noun

A person who is not addicted to anything.

nonaddictive

adj

Not addictive; incapable of causing addiction.

nonadmissible

adj

Not to be accepted; inadmissible.

nonage

noun

The period of a person's life when they are legally too young to be considered an adult.

nonagenarian

noun

A person who is between ninety and ninety-nine years old.

nonagency

adj

Not connected with or belonging to an agency.

nonagon

noun

A nonagon is a shape with nine straight sides and nine angles.

nonalcoholic

adj

Containing hardly any alcohol, or none at all.

nonalignment

noun

The state of not being aligned with or supporting any particular side.

nonaloof

adj

Not distant; open and approachable emotionally.

nonangelic

adj

Not connected with angels.

nonappearance

noun

The fact of not turning up, especially when required in court.

nonapplicable

adj

Not relevant or applicable in a particular case.

nonarticulated

adj

Not made up of separate jointed parts.