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English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

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na
adv
Not; no (used to negate a word or statement, especially in dialect or informal speech).
nab
verb
To catch or arrest someone, especially a criminal.
nacho
noun
A single tortilla chip, usually topped with melted cheese and other toppings, from a plate of nachos.
nachos
noun
A Mexican-inspired snack of tortilla chips topped with melted cheese and often other ingredients like jalapeños, salsa, or guacamole.
nada
pron
Nothing at all (informal).
Nader
name
A surname of Arabic origin.
Nadezhda
name
A female given name of Russian or Bulgarian origin, meaning "hope."
Nadia
name
A female given name of Russian origin meaning "hope," popular since the twentieth century; also a district of West Bengal, India.
Nadine
name
A female given name of French origin, a diminutive form of Nadia.
nadir
noun
The lowest point of something, especially a low point in someone's fortunes or a situation.
Nadiya
name
A female given name of Ukrainian origin, meaning "hope."
nads
noun
Slang for the testicles.
nag
verb
To repeatedly pester or criticize someone about something, in an annoying way.
naga
noun
In Hindu and Buddhist mythology, a semi-divine being that takes the form of a great serpent, often linked to water and the underworld.
Nagai
name
A Japanese surname.
Nagano
name
A city and prefecture in Japan, host of the 1998 Winter Olympics.
Nagar
name
A surname of Indian or Hebrew usage.
Nagasaki
name
A port city and prefecture in southwestern Japan, historically significant as an early trading port and as the site of the second atomic bombing in 1945.
Nagata
name
A Japanese surname.
Nagel
name
A surname, chiefly German.
nagging
adj
Persistently annoying, worrying, or painful.
Nagi
name
A surname.
Nagoya
name
The capital city of Aichi Prefecture, in central Japan.
Nagy
name
A Hungarian surname meaning "grand" or "great."
nah
intj
An informal way of saying "no."
nai
noun
A barber, especially in South Asian usage.
Naidu
name
An Indian surname common among Telugu-speaking communities of South India.
naik
noun
In South Asian militaries (India, Pakistan, Nepal), a non-commissioned officer rank roughly equal to a corporal.
nail
noun
The hard, flat plate at the tip of a finger or toe.
nailed
adj
Fastened or fixed in place with a nail; also used informally to mean firmly settled or secured.
nailing
noun
The act of fastening something using nails.
Nails
name
An English surname, an occupational name for someone who made nails.
Naina
name
A feminine given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "eyes."
Nair
noun
A member of a group of Hindu castes from Kerala, in southern India.
Nairobi
name
The capital and largest city of Kenya.
naive
adj
Lacking experience, judgement, or worldly knowledge; too trusting or simple in one's thinking.
naivety
noun
The quality of being naive; a lack of experience or worldly judgement.
NAK
noun
In computing and networking, a signal indicating that a message was not received correctly (short for "negative acknowledgement").
naka
noun
A gathering spot where day labourers wait to be hired for work.
Nakagawa
name
A Japanese surname, literally meaning "middle river."
Nakai
name
A surname of Japanese origin.
Nakajima
name
A Japanese surname, literally meaning "middle island."
Nakamura
name
A common Japanese surname, literally meaning "middle village."
Nakano
name
A Japanese surname, literally meaning "middle field."
naked
adj
Wearing no clothes at all.
nakedness
noun
The state of being unclothed; bareness.
namaste
intj
A respectful greeting used in Indian culture and, more loosely, in yoga and wellness settings.
name
noun
A word or phrase used to identify a specific person, place, or thing.
named
adj
Given a specific name or identity.
nameless
adj
Having no name, or having a name that is unknown.
namely
adv
Used to introduce something more specific right after a general statement — "that is to say."
namesake
noun
A person or thing named after someone or something else, or the person that gave their name.
nametag
noun
A small tag or badge printed with a person's name.
Namibia
name
A country in southern Africa; capital Windhoek.
naming
noun
The act of giving a name to something.
nan
noun
An informal, affectionate word for one's grandmother, mainly used in Britain.
nana
noun
An informal word for grandmother.
Nanami
name
A female given name and surname of Japanese origin.
Nance
noun
A dated, derogatory slang term for an effeminate man.
nancy
noun
A dated, derogatory slang term for an effeminate man.
Nanda
name
A surname, and also the name of relatives of Gautama Buddha in Buddhist tradition.
Nandi
noun
The bull that serves as the sacred mount of the Hindu god Shiva.
Nandini
name
A female given name of Hindi and Sanskrit origin, meaning "daughter."
Nando
name
A short, informal form of the male given name Fernando.
nandu
noun
A rhea — a large, flightless South American bird related to the ostrich.
Nanette
name
A female given name, a French diminutive related to Anne.
nang
noun
British slang for a small canister of nitrous oxide, sold for whipping cream but misused as an inhalant.
nani
intj
A Japanese word for "what," widely known through anime and internet slang.
Nanjing
name
A major city in eastern China, capital of Jiangsu province and a former imperial capital.
nanna
noun
An informal, chiefly British word for grandmother.
Nanni
name
A surname of Italian origin.
nanny
noun
A person, usually a woman, employed to take care of children in their home.
nanosecond
noun
A unit of time equal to one billionth of a second.
nanotechnology
noun
The branch of science and engineering dealing with structures and machines built at the scale of atoms and molecules.
Nantes
name
A city in western France, historically part of Brittany and now capital of the Pays de la Loire region.
nao
noun
A type of Spanish or Portuguese sailing ship, similar to a carrack, used in early ocean exploration.
Naoko
name
A female given name of Japanese origin.
Naomi
name
A female given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "my pleasantness"; also a figure in the Book of Ruth.
nap
verb
To sleep briefly, especially during the day.
napa
noun
A variety of Chinese cabbage with a mild flavor and pale, tightly packed leaves, common in East Asian cooking.
napalm
noun
A thick, flammable jelly-like substance that clings to what it burns, used as a weapon.
nape
noun
The back of the neck.
Napier
name
A surname, historically referring to someone who managed household linen.
Naples
name
A historic port city in southern Italy, capital of the Campania region.
Napoleon
name
Napoleon Bonaparte, the French military leader and emperor.
Napoleonic
adj
Relating to Napoleon Bonaparte or his era, especially the Napoleonic Wars.
napping
noun
The act of taking a short sleep.
nappy
noun
An absorbent garment worn by babies (or others needing one) who cannot yet control their bladder or bowels; a diaper.
naps
noun
Tightly curled or frizzy hair.
Napster
noun
A website or service that lets people share files, especially music, for free.
Nara
name
A city and prefecture in Japan, once the country's ancient capital.
Narang
name
A South Asian surname, particularly common among Punjabis.
Narasimha
name
The half-man, half-lion incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu.
Narayan
name
A name for the Hindu god Vishnu, also used as a given name.
Narayana
name
A name for the Hindu god Vishnu, also used as a given name.
Narayanan
name
A South Indian surname.
narc
noun
A police officer or agent who investigates illegal drugs.
narcissism
noun
An excessive focus on and admiration of oneself, often paired with looking down on others.
narcissist
noun
Someone with an excessive sense of their own importance and a constant need for admiration.
narcissistic
adj
Excessively self-admiring or self-centred.
narcissus
noun
A flowering bulb plant with white or yellow trumpet-shaped blooms, including the daffodil.
narco
noun
Someone who has narcolepsy.
narcolepsy
noun
A sleep disorder causing sudden, uncontrollable episodes of falling asleep.
narcotic
noun
A drug that dulls pain and induces sleep, especially an opioid, often used illegally.
narcotics
noun
Drugs that dull pain and induce sleep, especially illegal opioids, considered as a category.
Nardo
name
A surname of Italian origin.
Narita
name
A city in Japan, best known as the site of Tokyo's main international airport.
Narnia
name
The fictional magical land created by C. S. Lewis in The Chronicles of Narnia.
narra
noun
A tropical tree valued for its hardwood, especially Pterocarpus indicus.
narrate
verb
To tell a story or describe a sequence of events, in speech or writing.
narrating
noun
The act of telling a story or recounting events.
narration
noun
The act of telling or recounting a story or sequence of events.
narrative
noun
A spoken or written account of connected events; a story.
narrator
noun
A person who tells a story, or whose voice or perspective is used to tell it.
narrow
adj
Having a small width compared to length; not wide.
narrower
adj
Comparative form of narrow: having less width.
narrowing
noun
The process of becoming smaller in width or scope.
narrowly
adv
By a small margin; barely.
narrows
noun
A narrow section of a river, strait, or other waterway.
Naruto
noun
A spiral-patterned fish cake slice, typically pink-rimmed, used as a topping in ramen and other Japanese noodle dishes.
nary
adj
Not any; not a single one — an old-fashioned or dialect way of saying "no."
Nasa
name
The United States government agency responsible for civilian space exploration, aeronautics research, and space science, founded in 1958.
nasal
adj
Relating to the nose.
Nash
noun
A now-discontinued American car brand that later merged into American Motors Corporation.
Nashville
name
The capital city of Tennessee, USA, and a major center of the American country-music industry.
Nasir
name
A masculine given name of Arabic origin, meaning "helper" or "protector."
Nassar
name
An Arabic surname derived from a word meaning "victorious" or "helper."
Nassau
noun
In golf, a bet made up of three separate wagers: one on the front nine holes, one on the back nine, and one on the full eighteen.
Nasser
name
A masculine given name and surname of Arabic origin, meaning "victorious" or "helper."
nastiness
noun
The quality of being unpleasant, unkind, or spiteful.
nasty
adj
Unpleasant, unkind, or spiteful, especially in how someone treats others.
Nat
noun
A unit for measuring information or entropy, based on natural logarithms (used in information theory as an alternative to the bit).
natal
adj
Relating to birth or the time and place someone was born.
Natalia
name
A feminine given name of Latin origin, related to "natalis," meaning "birthday," traditionally linked to Christmas.
Natalie
name
A feminine given name of Latin origin, meaning "birthday," historically associated with the day of Christ's birth.
Natalya
name
A feminine given name, a Russian and Slavic form of Natalie, meaning "birthday."
Natasha
name
A feminine given name, a Russian diminutive form of Natalya, meaning "birthday."
Nate
name
A masculine given name, a short form of Nathan or Nathaniel.
Nath
name
A surname of South Asian origin, often used as a suffix in Bengali and Hindi names meaning "lord" or "master."
Nathalie
name
A feminine given name, the French form of Natalie, meaning "birthday."
Nathan
name
A male given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "he gave," also used as an Old Testament prophet's name.
Nathaniel
name
A masculine given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "gift of God."
nation
noun
A large group of people who share a common history, culture, language, or identity, often but not always tied to a specific country.
national
adj
Relating to an entire nation or country, rather than just a region or local area.
nationalism
noun
Strong pride in, and loyalty to, one's own nation, often including the belief that it should be independent or put first.
nationalist
noun
A person who strongly supports nationalism, especially the independence or interests of their own nation.
nationality
noun
The legal status of belonging to a particular nation, usually shown on a passport.
nationally
adv
In a way that affects, involves, or is broadcast across, the whole nation.
nationwide
adj
Covering or reaching every part of a nation.
native
noun
Someone who was born in a particular place.
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.