Word List 25 Flashcards
neologism
a new word, usage, or expressiong
neophyte
a new convert; proselyte
novice
tyro, beginner
e.g. Neophytes are assigned an experienced church member to guide them through their first year.
nepotism
favoritism (as in appointment to a job) based on kinship
e.g. Nepotism has hurt the company.
nerve
to give strength or courage to; supply with physical or moral force
e.g. needs to nerve himself for the big game tomorrow.
nexus
connection, link; also, a casual link
a connected group or series
center, focus
e.g. the oft-repeated claim that any person on the planet can be connected to any other person through a nexus of six relationships
As the nexus for three great religions, Jerusalem has had a troubled as well as illustrious history.
nib
bill, beak
a sharpened point of a quill pen; pen point
a small pointed or projected part
e.g. a finch cracking seeds in its nib
nibble
to bite gently; to eat or chew in small bits
to take away bit by bit
e.g. We nibbled (on) some cheese and crackers.
waves nibbling the shore
nick
a small notch, groove, or chip; a small cut or wound a final critical moment to jot down; record to make a nick in; notch, chip to cut short
e.g. His face was covered with nicks and cuts after shaving.
in the nick of time
nicked on the shoulder by a bullet
cold weather which nicked steel and automobile output
nil
nothing, zero
e.g. The difference in the audio performance of those two CD players is nil.
nip
to catch hold of and squeeze tightly; pinch, bite
to sever by or as if by pinching sharply
to injure or destroy
to take liquor in small quantities; sip, tipple
e.g. The dog nipped his ankle.
a dress nipped at the waist
nipped in the bud
nitpick
to criticize by nit-picking
e.g. Her husband nitpicks about everything: from how she puts the plates away to how she files the bills.
noctambulist
a person who walks while asleep; sleepwalker
noisome
noxious, harmful
offensive to the senses and especially to the sense of smell
highly obnoxious or objectionable
e.g. It’s no fun having asthma and living in an area with noisome smog.
a noisome remark/habit
nomad
a member of a people who have no fixed residence but move from place to place usually seasonally and within a well-defined territory
an individual who roams about
e.g. He lived like a nomad for a few years after college, never holding a job in one place for very long.
nominal
of, relating to, or constituting a name
existing or being something in name or form only
trifling, insignificant
being according to plan; satisfactory
e.g. nominal head of the party
the pipe’s nominal size
They charge a nominal fee for the service.
Everything was nominal during the launch.
nonchalant
having an air of easy unconcern or indifference
e.g. She faced the crowd with the nonchalant ease of an experienced speaker.
noncommittal
giving no clear indication of attitude or feeling
having no clear or distinctive character
e.g. She would only give noncommittal answers about her plans.
nonentity
something that does not exist or exists only in the imagination
nonexistence
a person or thing of little consequence or significance
e.g. The arctic circle is a nonentity - you won’t see it on the way to the north pole.
He was so quiet that he was almost a nonentity at the meeting.
nonplus
state of bafflement or perplexity; quandary
to cause to be at a loss as to what to say, think, or do; perplex
e.g. I was nonplussed by his openly expressed admiration of me.
nonsensical
(of words or language) having little or no meaning; making little or no sense
(of behavior, conduct, actions, etc.) foolish, senseless, fatuous, or absurd
objectionable, impudent, insubordinate
of trifling importance or of little or no use
e.g. A baby’s babbling is appealing nonsensical.
His nonsensical behavior is unusual for such a serious person.
I refuse to listen to that nonsensical gossip.
nonsensical advice
nostalgia
the state of being homesick; homesickness
a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrcoverable condition; also, something that evokes nostalgia
e.g. A wave of nostalgia swept over me when I saw my childhood home.
nostrum
a medicine of secret composition recommended by its preparer but usually without scientific proof of its effectiveness
a usually questionable remedy or scheme; panacea
e.g. using garlic as a nostrum to prevent disease
an audience eager to believe that he had found the nostrum for all of society’s ills
notch
a V-shaped indentation; a slit made to serve as a record
a deep close pass; gap
degree, step
e.g. The tool has a notch for prying out nails.
The town is on the other side of the notch.
nova
a star that suddenly increases its light output tremendously and then fades away to its former obscurity in a few months or years
banality
- banal; commonplace
e.g. The trips offers an escape from the banalities of daily life.
The writing never rose above banality.
noxious
physically harmful or destructive to living things
constituting a harmful influence on mind or behavior; especially, morally corrupting
disagreeable; obnoxious
e.g. Mixing bleach and ammonia can cause noxious fumes that can seriously harm you.
noxious smog that for years has been encrusting the historic cathedral with soot
nuance
a subtle distinction or variation
a subtle quality; nicety
sensibility to, awareness of, or ability to express delicate shadings (as of meaning, feeling, or value)
e.g. He listened to the subtle nuances in the song.
a poem of little depth and nuance
nubile
of marriageable condition or age sexually attractive (used of a young woman)
nucleate
to form into a nucleus; cluster
to act as a nucleus for
also
nudge
to touch or push gently
to prod lightly; urge into action
approach
also
e.g. I nudged the plate closer to him.
nugatory
of little or no consequence; trifling, inconsequential
having no force; inoperative
e.g. The congressional resolution has symbolic value only, as it relates to a matter governed by the states and is thus nugatory.
nullify
to make null; especially, to make legally null and void
to make of no value or consequence
e.g. The penalty nullified the goal.
numismatics
the study or collection of coins, tokens, and paper money and sometimes related objects (like metals)
oaf
a stupid person; boob
a big clumsy slow-witted person
e.g. Anyone who took him for an oaf and tried to cheat him would be in for a nasty surprise.
oath
a formal and serious promise to tell the truth or to do something
an offensive or rude word that is used to express anger, frustration, surprise, etc.
e.g. an oath to defend the nation
He uttered an oath and walked away.
obdurate
stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
hardened in feelings
resistant to persuasion or softening influences
e.g. obdurate determination
the obdurate refusal of the crotchety old man to let the neighborhood kids retrieve their stray ball from his backyard
indurate
physically or morally hardened
to make unfeeling, stubborn, or obdurate
to make hardy; inure
to establish firmly; confirm
e.g. an indurate heart that admits no love or mercy
Such a brutal upbringing could only callous his soul and indurate his heart to the sufferings of others.
contumacious
stubbornly disobedient; rebellious
e.g. The judge threatened to charge the contumacious witness with contempt of court.
obeisance
deferential respect
a gesture expressing deferential respect, such as a bow or curtsy
e.g. They paid obeisance to the prince.
impertinent
not pertinent; irrelevant
not restrained within due or proper bounds especially of propriety or good taste
given to or characterized by insolent rudeness
e.g. a few impertinent questions
impertinent curiosity
the impertinent child who had a smart answer for everything
obfuscate
darken; to make obscure
confuse
e.g. Politicians keep obfuscating the issues.
fuscous
of any of several colors averaging a brownish gray
obituary
a notice of a person’s death usually with a short biographical account
e.g. Several obituaries for Herman Melville portrayed him as an obscure, largely forgotten author.
