Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

adversative, antagonistic, antipathetic, adverse, US adversary: He has adopted a very negative attitude towards his job. Few negative voices were heard on the issue. 2 pessimistic, unenthusiastic, cool, cold, uninterested, unresponsive: The reaction to our offer has been largely negative. 3 nullifying, annulling, neutralizing, voiding, cancelling: The laws are mainly negative, listing only things one must not do. 4 negating, refusing, denying, gainsaying, opposing: The judge came to a negative decision regarding bail. 5 in the negative. negatively, 'No': Asked if she wanted to go, she replied in the negative.

neglect v. 1 disregard, ignore, slight, pay no attention to, be inattentive to, overlook, pass by, spurn, rebuff, scorn,

disdain, contemn, Colloq cold-shoulder: Scholars neglected his work for years. 2 fail (in), omit; disregard, let slide or

pass, be remiss (about or in or regarding), abandon, lose sight of, forget, shirk: Have I neglected telling you how much I love you? Sybil has neglected her obligations.

--n. 3 disregard, disrespect, inattention, indifference, slighting, unconcern, oversight, heedlessness, neglectfulness, carelessness, inadvertence: We lost business to our competitor through simple neglect. 4 negligence, laxity, laxness, slackness, neglectfulness, passivity, passiveness, inactivity, inaction, dereliction, default, failure, failing, remissness:

She has been accused of neglect in looking after her children properly.

negligence

n. inattention, inattentiveness, indifference, carelessness, unconcern, dereliction, failure, failing, heedlessness, laxity, laxness, disregard, oversight, omission, inadvertence, neglect, remissness, forgetfulness, oscitancy or oscitance: The car crash was attributed to the lorry driver's negligence.

negligible

adj. insignificant, minor, unimportant, trifling, trivial, inconsequential, piddling, inappreciable, small, slight, paltry, nugatory, worthless, petty, niggling, not worth mentioning or talking about: The differences between the two plans are negligible.

negotiate v. 1 deal, bargain, dicker, haggle, chaffer, palter; discuss, debate, mediate, consult, parley, speak, talk, transact, come to terms: A conglomerate is negotiating to buy our company. The company asked me to negotiate on our behalf. 2 arrange (for), organize, orchestrate, conduct, handle, manoeuvre, manage, engineer, work out, settle, get, obtain, bring off or about,

carry off, accomplish, do, execute, effect, complete, conclude, Colloq pull off: Will you be able to negotiate a loan for the car? 3 manoeuvre, clear, get through or past or round or over, pass, cross, Colloq make (it (through or past or round or over)): Will you be able to negotiate the barbed-wire fence?

negotiation

n. 1 discussion, mediation, arbitration, bargaining, parley, parleying, talk, coming to terms: The disarmament negotiations have dragged on for years. 2 deal, bargain, transaction, agreement, arrangement, understanding, determination, decision, settlement; contract, pact, compact, covenant, concordat,

treaty: All parties seem pleased with the final negotiation.

negotiator

n. arbitrator, arbiter, mediator, moderator, diplomat, ambassador, go-between, middleman, intercessor, interceder, intervener, agent, broker: An independent negotiator was invited to the bargaining table with the union and management representatives.

neighbourhood

n. 1 locality, area, region, vicinity, vicinage, environs, quarter, district, precinct(s), purlieus, locale; surroundings, confines: Houses in the neighbourhood of the blast were levelled. 2 in the neighbourhood of. approximately, about, around, nearly, practically, close to, almost, more or less, Colloq in the ballpark of, in the region of, Brit getting on for, not far off, US within an eyelash of, Slang as near as

dammit to: The playground will cost in the neighbourhood of œ5,000.

neighbouring

adj. nearby, near, around, adjacent (to), surrounding, adjoining, contiguous (to), touching, bordering (on), next (to), nearest: Owners of properties neighbouring the nuclear power plant worry about radiation. The neighbouring villages will

participate in the fˆte at Long Norton.

neighbourly

adj. friendly, cordial, warm, amiable, agreeable, affable, companionable, well-disposed, kindly, kind, well-wishing, genial, sociable, social, harmonious, considerate, thoughtful, helpful, gracious, courteous, civil: It was quite neighbourly of the Constables to look after our cat.

neologism n. neoterism, coinage, neology, nonce-word; blend, portmanteau word: Lexicographers must decide the neologisms to be added to their dictionaries.

nerve n. 1 courage, coolness, boldness, bravery, intrepidity, determination, valour, daring, fearlessness, dauntlessness, pluck, mettle, spirit, fortitude, will, tenacity, steadfastness, staunchness, firmness, doughtiness, resoluteness, Colloq guts, grit, gumption, spunk, US sand, Brit bottle, US moxie , Taboo slang balls: It took a lot of nerve to go back into that

burning building. 2 effrontery, brazenness, gall, impertinence, brass, impudence, insolence, audacity, brashness, presumption, presumptuousness, temerity, Colloq cheek, sauce, chutzpah, Slang crust: You have a lot of nerve, talking to your mother that

way! 3 get on someone's nerves. annoy, irritate, upset: That loud rock music gets on my nerves. 4 nerves. tension, nervousness, hysteria, anxiety, fretfulness, stress, worry, apprehension, fright, Colloq the jitters, Slang the willies, the heebie-jeebies, US the whim-whams: I had a bad case of nerves before learning the doctor's diagnosis.

nerve-racking

adj. nerve-wracking, harrowing, agonizing, distressing, trying, vexing, vexatious, troublesome, worrisome, irksome, irritating: Waiting for the names of the survivors was the most nerve-racking experience of my life.

nervous adj. 1 highly-strung, excitable, sensitive, tense, agitated, wrought up, worked up, upset, flustered, ruffled, disturbed, perturbed, distressed, worried, anxious, troubled, concerned, disquieted, edgy, on edge, on tenterhooks, fidgety, fretful, uneasy, apprehensive, frightened, fearful, shaky, scared, skittish, US on a tightrope, Colloq jumpy, jittery, flappable, in a stew, in a dither, in a sweat, in a tizzy, in a flap,

network n. 1 See net°, 1, above. 2 system, arrangement, structure, organization, complex, grid, criss-cross, web, plexus; maze, labyrinth, jungle, tangle: She has developed a worldwide network of contacts for her business. Before transistors, the back of a radio was a network of multicoloured wires.

neurotic adj. psychoneurotic, unstable, disturbed, confused, irrational, disordered, maladjusted, distraught, overwrought, anxious, nervous, obsessive, deviant, abnormal: Many people are neurotic about something.

neuter adj. 1 asexual, sexless, epicene: Worker bees are neuter, neither male nor female.

--v. 2 desex or desexualize, doctor; castrate, emasculate, geld, capon or caponize, eunuchize; spay, ovariectomize, oophorectomize; Colloq fix, cut, US alter: We had our cat neutered after her first litter.

neutral adj. 1 non-belligerent, non-combatant, unaligned, non-aligned, unaffiliated, uninvolved, unallied, non-allied, non-partisan, impartial, disinterested, indifferent, dispassionate, unbiased, uncommitted, noncommittal, aloof, withdrawn, detached, remote, removed: Switzerland has remained neutral during both world wars. 2 dull, drab, colourless, achromatic, toneless, indeterminate, washed out, pale, indefinite, indistinct, indistinguishable, indeterminate, vague, drab, beige, ecru: A neutral wallpaper colour won't clash with the paintings.

neutralize

v. void, annul, cancel (out), nullify, invalidate, negate, delete, undo, make or render ineffective, counterbalance,

counteract, offset, equalize, even, square, compensate for, make up for: The forces on both sides of the sail, being equal, neutralize each other.

never adv. 1 at no time, not ever, not at any time, on no occasion, under no circumstances or condition(s), on no account, not at all, Colloq not in a million years, not till hell freezes over: You are never to use such language again! 2 in no way, not in any way, not in the least, not in any degree, not under any condition, not: Never fear, for I am near.

nevertheless

adv. still, notwithstanding, yet, in spite of that, despite that, nonetheless, regardless, be that as it may, for all that, even so, but, however, just or all the same, everything

considered, at any rate, anyway, in any case, in any event, at

newcomer n. 1 alien, immigrant, foreigner, outlander, stranger, settler, colonist, outsider: The newcomers quickly established themselves and became self-sufficient. 2 beginner, amateur, novice, proselyte, neophyte, tiro or tyro, initiate, trainee,

learner, fledgling or Brit also fledgeling, US freshman, Colloq greenhorn: Though experienced in book publishing, he was a newcomer to magazine publishing.

14.3 nice...

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off. depart, go or run off or away, take off, take to one's heels, show a clean pair of heels, beat a (hasty) retreat,

Colloq scarper, make tracks, beat it: The cops were coming so I nicked off.

nickname n. 1 pet name, sobriquet, epithet, agnomen, Colloq moniker or

into the night. 2 nightfall, gloaming, twilight, dusk,

eventide, evening, evensong, edge of night, sunset, sundown, end of day, vespers: When night comes, one can hear the frogs calling from the pond. 3 night and day. all the time,

continually, incessantly, unceasingly, continuously, unendingly, endlessly, round-the-clock, ceaselessly, non-stop: Those animals keep up their caterwauling night and day.

nightly adj. 1 every night, each night, each and every night, night after night: The watchman does his nightly rounds. 2 night-time, nocturnal, bedtime: A nightly glass of warm milk promotes sound sleep.

--adv. 3 every night, each night, nights, after dark, after sunset; nocturnally: The bird sings nightly outside my window.

nightmarish

adj. frightening, terrifying, alarming, horrific, horrible, dreadful, awful, ghastly, dismaying, agonizing, worrisome, exasperating, frustrating, Kafkaesque, Colloq creepy, scary: Dealing with officialdom can be a nightmarish experience when abroad.

snort, shot: I had a few nips of brandy to ward off the cold.

14.4 nobility...

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nobility n. 1 nobleness, dignity, grandeur, illustriousness, greatness, glory, influence, authority, leadership, distinction, probity, integrity, excellence, goodness, character, rectitude, righteousness, ethics, honesty, honourableness, decency, justness, high-mindedness, magnanimity, prestige, loftiness, primacy, significance: The man's nobility was evident from his mien and bearing. 2 rank, position, class, birth, blue blood: Their nobility is recognized only at court and in fashionable society. 3 the nobility. the gentry, the ‚lite, the aristocracy, Colloq the upper crust, the ruling class(es), the Establishment,

US the Four Hundred: With a name like Hohenzollern, her family must be from the European nobility.

noble n. 1 nobleman, noblewoman, aristocrat, patrician, lord, lady, peer; gentleman, gentlewoman, Colloq blue blood: The nobles united and forced King John to sign the Magna Carta.

--adj. 2 high-born, high-class, upper-class, aristocratic, titled, high-ranking, lordly, patrician, Colloq blue-blood(ed):

She came from a noble Austrian family. 3 dignified, eminent, distinguished, august, grand, lofty, elevated, illustrious, prestigious, pre-eminent, noted, honoured, esteemed, celebrated, renowned, acclaimed, respected, venerated: The noble Knights of the Round Table have become legend throughout the world. 4 upright, righteous, honourable, honest, virtuous, incorruptible, chivalrous, staunch, steadfast, true, loyal, faithful,

trustworthy, true, principled, moral, good, decent, self-sacrificing, magnanimous, generous: The qualities that make a noble friend make a formidable enemy. 5 splendid, magnificent, imposing, impressive, stately, exquisite, sublime, grand, striking, stunning, superb, admirable, elegant, rich, sumptuous, luxurious: The Taj Mahal is probably one of the noblest works of man.

nobody pron. 1 no one, not anyone, no person: We had to wait because nobody was in the shop when we entered.