| Term | Definition |
|---|
| nettle | to irritate |
| neutralize | to make ineffective; to counteract |
| nexus | connection, tie, or link amound the units of a group |
| nicety | delicacy; sublety |
| niche | recess or hollow in a wall |
| niggardly | stingy; miserly |
| niggle | to spend excessive time on unimportant details |
| nihilism | total rejection of established |
| nimble | quick and light in motion |
| nirvana | place of great peace or happiness |
| nocturnal | pertaining to night |
| nodule | a small, rounded mass or lump |
| noisome | foul-smelling; harmful or injurious |
| nomadic | wandering; homeless |
| nomenclature | a set of names or terms |
| nominal | in name only; not in fact |
| non sequitur | something that does not logically follow |
| nonage | A period of youth or immaturity |
| nonchalant | without concern or enthusiasm; indifferent |
| noncommittal | neutral; refusing commitment to a particular opinion; unpledged; undecided |
| nonentity | a person or thing of no importance |
| nonpareil | One who or that which is of unequaled excellence. |
| nonplus | to confuse, perplex; to be at a loss of words |
| nostalgia | homesickness; longing for the past; Ex. nostalgia for the clothes of 1920s; ADJ. nostalgic |
| nostrum | hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases |
| notorious | having an exceedingly bad reputation |
| novice | a beginner |
| noxious | harmful |
| nuance | a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude |
| nub | a lump or a small piece |
| nubile | suitable for marriage in age and physical development, referring to a female |
| nugatory | worthless; invalid |
| nullify | make invalid; make null; invalidate |
| numismatist | coin-collector |
| nuptial | Of or pertaining to marriage, especially to the marriage ceremony. |
| nurture | to feed; to sustain; to nourish, foster, rear |
| nutriment | a source of materials to nourish the body |
| oaf | a dunce or blockhead |
| oasis | a place which offers a pleasant relief |
| obdurate | stubborn; hard-hearted |
| obeisance | a bow or similar gesture expressing deep respect |
| obese | very fat |
| obfuscate | to confuse; to bewilder |
| oblation | an offering for religious or charitable purposes |
| obligatory | required; mandatory |
| oblique | slanted; indirect |
| obliterate | to erase; to do away with |
| oblivious | forgetful; unmindful |
| obloguy | strong disapproval; bad reputation resulting from public criticism |
| obnoxious | objectionable; offensive |
| obscurant | a person who tries to prevent the spread of knowledge |
| obscure | dim; not clear; not easily understood |
| obsequious | excessively submissive; overly attentive |
| obsequy | a funeral rite or ceremony |
| obsess | to control the thoughts or feelings of a person |
| obsolescent | going out of use; becoming extinct |
| obstinate | stubborn |
| obstreperous | boisterous; unruly |
| obtrude | to push something toward or upon a person |
| obtuse | slow to comprehend |
| meander | to wander aimlessly |
| meddlesome | interfering; curious |
| mediate | to settle a dispute; to act as a go-between |
| mediocre | ordinary; average; neither good or bad |
| meditate | to think deeply; to ponder |
| medley | a mixture; a musical selection combining parts from various sources |
| megalomania | false impression of one's own greatness; tendency to exaggerate |
| melancholy | sad; depressed |
| melee | noisy fight |
| mellifluous | smoothly flowing; sweet-sounding |
| melodramatic | overly emotional |
| memento | remembrance; a souvenir |
| menance | a threat; a danger |
| menage | household; domestic establishment |
| menageric | collection of wide or strange animals |
| mendacious | lying; false |
| mendicant | a beggar |
| menial | low; degrading |
| mentor | adviser |
| mercantile | pertaining to merchants; commercial |
| mercenary | motivated only by a desire for money |
| mercurial | changeable; fickle; erratic |
| meretricious | gaudy; showy; attractive in a cheap flashy way |
| mesa | a flat-topped elevation of land with steep rock walls |
| mesmerize | to hypnotize |
| metamorphosis | a change; a transformation |
| metaphor | comparison ( without like or as ) |
| metaphysics | pertaining to beyond what is natural |
| mete | (out) to distribute in portions |
| meteoric | momentarily dazzling; swift |
| meteorology | study of weather and climate |
| meticulous | excessively careful; finicky |
| metropolis | large city |
| mettle | courage; spirit |
| miasma | pollution; poisonous environment |
| microcosm | a miniature world |
| mien | manner; bearing |
| migratory | wandering; moving from place to place |
| milieu | environment; setting |
| militant | ready and willing to fight |
| millennium | a thousand years |
| mimic | to imitate |
| minion | a devoted follower; a highl\y regarded person |
| minuscule | very small |
| minute | ( two meanings ) sixtieth part of an hour; very small and insignificant (pronounced my-newt ) |
| minutiae | insignificant details; trivia |
| mirage | an apparition or illusion |
| mire | ( two meanings ) wet, swampy ground ( noun ); to involve in difficulties ( verb ) |
| misanthrope | hater of mankind |
| misapprehension | a misunderstanding |
| miscegenation | mixture of races, especially through marriages |
| mischance | unlucky accident; bad luck |
| misconstrue | misinterpret; misjudge |
| miscreant | a vicious person; a villain |
| misdemeanor | a criminal offense less serious than a felony |
| misgiving | doubt; suspicion |
| misnomer | ann error in listing the name of a person |
| misogamy | hatred of marriage |
| misogynist | woman-hater |
| missive | letter |
| mitigate | to make less severe; to become milder |
| mnemonic | pertaining to memory |
| mobile | movable ; flexible |
| mock | to ridicule; to insult; to lower in esteem |
| modicum | a small amount |
| modish | fashionable; stylish |
| modulate | to soften; to tone down |
| mogul | powerful person |
| obviate | to prevent |
| occidental | western; opposite of oriental |
| occlude | to close; to shut; to block out |
| occult | hidden; secret; mysteriouis |
| ocular | pertaining to sight |
| odious | digusting; hateful |
| odoriferous | giving off a displeasing or strong smell |
| odyssey | a long journey |
| offal | garbage; waste parts |
| officious | meddling; interfering |
| ogle | to look at with desire |
| ogre | monster; hideous being |
| olfactory | pertaining to smell |
| oligarchy | government in which power is in the hands of only a few individuals |
| olmpian | majestic |
| omen | an event whixh indicates the future |
| ominous | threatening; indicating evil or harm |
| omnifarious | of all kinds |
| omnipotent | all-powerful |
| omniscient | all-knowing |
| omnivorous | eating any kind of food; absorbing everything |
| onerous | burdensome; heavy |
| onslaught | a furious attack |
| onus | a burden; a responsibility |
| poaque | not trensparent; not letting light pass through |
| opiate | narcotic; causing sleep or relief |
| opportunist | one who takes advantage of a situation |
| oppress | to rule harshly; tyrannize |
| opprobrious | shameful; disgraceful |
| opt | ( for ) to choose |
| optimist | one who sees the good side of things |
| optimum | the best; most favorable |
| opulent | rich; luxurious |
| oracular | mysterious; predicting |
| oration | a speech on a special occasion |
| orbit | a curved path; such as a planet takes around the sun |
| ordain | to order; to establish; to arrange |
| ordeal | difficult or painful experience; a primitive form of trial |
| ordinance | law; regulation |
| organic | fundamental; essential |
| orient | ( two meanings ) an area of the far east, such as Asia ( noun ); to adjust or adapt (verb ) |
| orifice | mouth; opening |
| ornate | showy; highly decorated |
| ornithology | study of birds |
| orthodox | accepting the usual or traditional beliefs |
| orthography | correct spelling |
| oscillate | to swing or move back and forth, like a pendulum |
| ossify | to change into bone; to become rigid |
| ostensible | apparent; conspiciuous |
| ostentatious | showing off; boastful |
| pstracize | to banish; to exclude |
| oust | to drive out; to expel |
| outwit | to trick; to get the better of |
| overt | open; aboveboard; not hidden |
| ovine | of or like a sheep |
| ovoid | egg-shaped |
| molest | to disturb; to bother |
| mollify | to pacify; to calm; to appease |
| molt | to shed; such as feathers and skin |
| molten | melted |
| momentous | very important |
| monarchy | government by one ruler |
| monastic | pertaining to a monk; self-denying |
| monetary | pertaining to money |
| monitor | one who watches or warns |
| monograph | a paper, book , etc. written about a single subject |
| monolithic | unyielding; unified |
| monologue | long speech by one person |
| monotheism | belief in one god |
| monumental | great; important |
| moot | doublful; debatable |
| moratorium | delay; postponement |
| morbid | depressing; gruesome |
| mordant | sarcastic; biting |
| mores | customs; traditions; morals |
| moribund | dying |
| morose | gloomy; ill-humored |
| mortal | destined to die; causing death |
| mortify | to embarrass; to humiliate |
| motif | theme; central idea |
| motley | diverse; assorted; having different colors |
| mottled | spotted; blotched; streaked |
| mountebank | a phony; a fraud; a charlatan |
| muddle | to confuse; to mix up |
| mulct | to punsh with a fine; to obtain money by extortion |
| mull | ( over ) to study or think about |
| multifarious | varied; having many parts |
| mundane | wordly |
| munificient | generous |
| murky | dark; unclear; gloomy |
| muse | to think deeply |
| muster | to gather together |
| musty | stale; moldy |
| mute | silent |
| mutilate | to disfigure; to cripple |
| mutinous | rebellious |
| muzzle | to restrain;to gag |
| myopic | near-sighted; having a limited point of view |
| myriad | infinitely vast in number |
| myrmidon | an unquestioning follower |
| mythical | imaginary; fictitious |
| nabob | a very wealthy or powerful person |
| nadir | lowest point |
| naive | simple; unsophisticated |
| narcissistic | conceited; vain |
| nascent | coming into being; being born |
| natation | the act or art of swimming |
| nativity | birth |
| naught | nothing |
| nautical | pertaining to ships; sailors; navigation |
| nebulous | hazy; vague; uncertain |
| necromancy | magic; especially that practiced by a witch |
| nefarious | wicked |
| negate | to deny; to make ineffective |
| negligant | careless |
| nemesis | something that a person cannot conquer or achieve |
| neologism | new use of a word |
| neophyte | a beginner; a novice |
| nepotism | favoritism shown towards relatives |
| nether | lower; under |
| mirth | joy; amusement; laughter |
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