np
4 synonyms for np, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Abbreviation — No problem; a casual reply to thanks or to an apology.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use np
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
np at all
np :)
NP-complete
Lower case in texting. Capitalised NP is the computer science class, the nurse practitioner, or "now playing".
Etymology
An initialism of "no problem"; separately, of "now playing" and, in complexity theory, of "nondeterministic polynomial time".
Full origin of np →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between np and yw?
Both answer a thank you. yw ("you're welcome") accepts the thanks straightforwardly; np ("no problem") plays the favour down as having cost nothing. np is the more casual of the two.
Is np rude?
Not in messaging between friends or colleagues, where it is completely normal. Some older speakers dislike "no problem" as a reply to thanks because it raises the idea of a problem at all, so "you're welcome" is safer with customers or in formal email.
What does NP mean in medicine?
There it stands for nurse practitioner, a registered nurse with advanced training who can diagnose, prescribe and manage patients, in many places without physician supervision.
