The Oxford Thesaurus - An A-Z Dictionary Of Synonyms

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.

--n. 2 nonentity, unknown, zero, cipher, Colloq nothing: Overnight, Tony went from being a celebrity to being a nobody.

babel; commotion, bedlam, fracas, tumult, pandemonium, turmoil; discordance, dissonance, cacophony; Archaic alarms or alarums and excursions, Colloq ruckus, ruction, ballyhoo: I couldn't

sleep because of the unbearable noise from the party next door. You may call acid rock music, but she calls it noise. 2 sound, disturbance: Did you just hear that strange noise? It's only

the noise of the crickets.

--v. 3 Often, noise about or around. circulate, spread, rumour, bruit (about): It is being noised about that John and Marsha are getting a divorce.

noiseless adj. muted, quiet, soft, hushed, muffled, deadened, dampened, damped; silent, mute, still, inaudible, soundless: We watched

the noiseless boats gliding past.

noisy adj. loud, deafening, ear-splitting, jarring, grating, harsh, piercing, shrill, discordant, unmusical, dissonant, cacophonous or cacophonic, resounding, clarion, clamorous, clangorous, thunderous, uproarious, blaring, blasting, obstreperous, vociferous, boisterous, tumultuous, riotous: I could hear nothing over the noisy aeroplane engines. When she arose to speak, the noisy crowd fell silent.

nominal adj. 1 titular, in name only, formal, pretended, so-called, self-styled, soi-disant, professed, purported, supposed, would-be, representational, represented, supposititious; proposed, propositional; puppet: Elliot is the nominal chairman, but Foster actually runs the company. 2 insignificant, trivial, trifling, minor, minuscule, tiny, small, insubstantial, minimal, inconsiderable, token: We charge a nominal fee for the analysis if you refuse our recommendation.

nominate v. choose, select, name, appoint, designate, suggest, offer, submit, recommend, propose, present, put up or forward; forward; Formal put forth: Baker has been nominated for the presidency.

nominee n. candidate, office-seeker, designee, selectee, appointee, assignee: We must choose a nominee to run in the next election.

non-aligned

adj. uncommitted, non-allied, non-affiliated, unaligned, unaffiliated, unallied; neutral, impartial: There are several non-aligned nations that remain independent of the influence of the superpowers.

non-believer

n. unbeliever, disbeliever, cynic, doubting Thomas, doubter, sceptic, freethinker, agnostic, atheist, nullifidian; infidel, heathen, pagan: During his reign, thousands of non-believers were put to the sword.

nonchalant

adj. cool, unexcited, unexcitable, unperturbed, imperturbable, undisturbed, untroubled, unflappable, unruffled, dispassionate, unemotional, detached, distant, unconcerned, indifferent, pococurante, insouciant, uninterested, aloof, blas‚, offhand, calm, collected, composed, easygoing, free and easy,

happy-go-lucky, casual, relaxed, at ease; unenthusiastic, apathetic; Colloq laid-back, together: How can you be so nonchalant about important issues that affect all our lives?!

noncommittal

adj. wary, cautious, careful, gingerly, guarded, (playing it) safe, circumspect, watchful, prudent, canny, tentative, on guard, reserved, cool; precautionary or precautional, precautious; Colloq playing it cool, playing it safe, playing it or one's cards close to the chest: The company is still noncommittal about the take-over of the American company.

non-completion

n. non-fulfilment, unfulfilment, non-performance, incompleteness, deficiency: We regret the non-completion of the work on your house and will refund in full the amount already paid.

non-compliance

n. disobedience, nonconformity, non-observance, disregard, disregarding, failure, non-cooperation, uncooperativeness, unresponsiveness, rejection, refusal, denial: If you fail to provide the records requested by the tax inspector, you can be charged with non-compliance.

nonconformist

n. 1 nonconformer, renegade, maverick, rebel, radical, individualist, heretic, dissenter, dissident, iconoclast, loner, exception, anomaly: In the 1960s, Alastair counted himself among the nonconformists who wore unconventional clothes and flouted conventional behaviour.

--adj. 2 nonconforming, renegade, maverick, rebellious, radical, individualist(ic), heretical, dissentient, dissident, iconoclastic: Suffragists were ridiculed for their nonconformist ideas.

nondescript

adj. indescribable, unclassifiable, unclassified, ordinary, common-or-garden variety, common, commonplace, unremarkable, colourless, drab, everyday, bland, uninteresting, insipid, characterless, undistinctive, unexceptional: He was wearing nondescript clothing and blended into the crowd.

non-essential

adj. 1 non-vital, unessential, unneeded, unnecessary, needless, inconsequential, insignificant, unimportant, superfluous, dispensable, expendable, gratuitous, uncalled-for, extraneous, peripheral, extra, de trop, adventitious, additional, supplemental, adscititious, redundant, accessory, subordinate, secondary, subsidiary: The non-essential industries were converted to the war effort during the 1940s.

--n. 2 unessential, inessential, nonentity, cipher, zero, nobody; extra, supernumerary, spear-carrier, Colloq nothing, Slang US nebbish: She used him as a lackey, a non-essential whom she could dispose of at will.

nonetheless

adv. See nevertheless, above.

non-event n. anticlimax, Colloq non-starter, lead balloon, dud, Brit damp squib: Jeremy's party turned out to be the non-event of the

year.

non-existent

adj. unreal, imaginary, imagined, fictional, fictive, fanciful, fancied, mythical, fabulous, fabled, illusory, chimerical, delusive: Although the entire Graeco-Roman pantheon became non-existent overnight, its gods and goddesses continue to pervade our culture.

non-flammable

adj. non-combustible, incombustible, non-inflammable, unburnable; fire-retardant: The government recently passed regulations requiring that non-flammable materials be used in upholstered furniture.

no-nonsense

adj. serious, unfrivolous, businesslike, practical, non-trivial, untrivial: Customs officials take a no-nonsense

approach to drug trafficking.

nonpareil n. paragon, model, standard, ne plus ultra, exemplar, ideal, Literary nonsuch or nonesuch, Colloq oner, one in a million, Brit one-off: Annabelle was a nonpareil among the artists of her day.

non-partisan

adj. 1 non-partizan, non-aligned, unaligned, unaffiliated, independent, non-committed, uncommitted, neutral, uninvolved, free, (sitting) on the fence: Choose between non-partisan and coalition candidates. 2 impartial, even-handed, fair, just, objective, unbiased, unprejudiced, equitable, dispassionate, disinterested: One could not find a more non-partisan judge than Sir Ronald.

--n. 3 independent, neutral, mugwump: I am a non-partisan on the subject of privatization of public utilities.

nonplus v. confound, perplex, puzzle, confuse, dismay, baffle, stop, check, stun, shock, dumbfound or dumfound, take aback, astonish, astound, US faze, Colloq bring up short, flummox, stump: She was nonplussed to learn that Simpson had been arrested.

non-productive

adj. 1 unproductive, barren, sterile, infertile, unfertile, unfruitful, infecund: Non-productive land was left uncultivated. 2 ineffectual, bootless, ineffective, impractical, unavailing, pointless, useless, worthless,

wasteful, time-consuming, time-wasting: Executives should spend more time working and less in non-productive meetings discussing the work to be done.

nonsense n. 1 rubbish, drivel, gibberish, gobbledegook or gobbledygook, twaddle, trash, babble, balderdash, moonshine, bombast, fustian, rodomontade, puffery, flummery, blather or blether, bunkum, poppycock, stuff and nonsense, double-talk, jargon, mumbo-jumbo, jabberwocky, cackle, gas, palaver, Colloq bunk, piffle, rot,

bosh, eyewash, hogwash, malarkey, bilge (water), boloney or baloney, claptrap, hot air, Brit tosh, Old-fashioned Brit

gammon, waffle, US apple-sauce, horse feathers, garbage, bushwa; Slang crap, tripe, bull, hooey, double Dutch, Taboo slang

bullshit, horseshit, Brit (a load of old) cobblers: Watson's

speech on the benefits of tobacco was unmitigated nonsense. 2 mischief, clowning, antics, capering, horseplay, pranks, tricks, jokes, silliness, foolishness, inanity, frivolity, tomfoolery, joking, jesting, waggishness, buffoonery, shenanigans, Colloq

monkey business, Brit monkey tricks, US monkeyshines: Keep up this nonsense and you'll get into a lot of trouble!

nonsensical

adj. senseless, meaningless, absurd, ridiculous, ludicrous, laughable, preposterous, irrational, warped, askew, crazy, mad, silly, foolish, hare-brained, asinine, idiotic, moronic, imbecilic, stupid, dumb, Colloq nutty, screwy, cock-eyed, fool, screwball, Slang loony: What is your nonsensical excuse for being late this time?

non-stop adj. 1 uninterrupted, continuous, unbroken, direct: Is this a non-stop flight to New York? 2 unending, endless, interminable, unceasing, ceaseless, continual, continuous, uninterrupted, unbroken, persistent, relentless, constant, unremitting, steady, round-the-clock, ongoing, continuing, unhesitating, unfaltering, tireless,; regular, habitual: I told my neighbour that his

non-stop rock 'n' roll music was driving me mad.

normal adj. 1 standard, regular, average, conventional, usual, run-of-the-mill, ordinary, routine, universal, general, common, customary, natural, typical, conformist, orthodox; healthy: If living in this mess seems normal to you, we clearly have different standards. His temperature and pulse are normal. 2 sane, stable, rational, reasonable, well-adjusted: After he had set fire to his school, Julian's parents began to wonder if he was quite normal.

normalize v. regularize, standardize, regulate, control; conform: The program is directed at normalizing the codes used in keyboarding text.

nosy adj. nosey, curious, inquisitive, prying, meddlesome, spying, peeping, eavesdropping, Colloq snooping, snoopy: Mind your own business and don't be so nosy.

notable adj. 1 noteworthy, noted, famous, famed, well-known, renowned, illustrious, important, prominent, eminent, outstanding, great, distinguished, celebrated, acclaimed: Many notable people

attended my college. 2 remarkable, different, distinctive, singular, unusual, uncommon, pre-eminent, peerless, matchless, unmatched, unequalled, unparalleled, extraordinary, conspicuous, outstanding, memorable, unforgettable, striking: She enjoyed a notable reputation as a cellist. Last night's notable

performance was enjoyed by a capacity audience.

--n. 3 dignitary, personage, worthy, VIP; celebrity, luminary, Colloq (big) name, big shot: Many notables attended the charity ball.

notably adv. 1 particularly, especially, markedly, noticeably, signally, distinctly, remarkably, unusually, uncommonly, outstandingly, conspicuously, clearly, obviously, evidently, manifestly, specifically, distinctly, curiously, oddly, uniquely, strangely, strikingly, shockingly, surprisingly,

stunningly: In the temperate zones, the seasons vary notably in length. 2 meaningfully, significantly, importantly, prominently: The viruses changed in notably different ways.

notation n. 1 note, memorandum, jotting, record, reminder, minute(s), abstract, Colloq memo: I shall make a notation of that in my diary. 2 symbols, signs, code, characters, symbolism: In

musical notation, a minim represents two beats.

notch n. 1 nick, cut, dent, indentation, groove, cleft, score, mark, gouge, gash: For every man he killed, the gunfighter cut a notch in the barrel of his gun. 2 step, grade, level, rung, peg, degree, stage, gradation: Gillian's promotion moves her up another notch towards the chairmanship.

--v. 3 nick, cut, dent, indent, groove, score, mark, gash, gouge: You notch the end of the arrow to admit the bowstring. 4 notch up. gain, win, accomplish, achieve, score, register, mark (up): The All-India cricket team has notched up another win.

notched adj. serrate(d), sawtooth(ed), crenellate(d), crenate,

repute, reputation, renown: People of note have been entertained at our table. 9 tone, sound; key: He knows the music but gets the notes wrong. 10 notes. jottings, impressions, record(s), report, (thumbnail) sketch, (rough) draft, outline, synopsis: The entire account is based on the notes she made during the trial.

--v. 11 notice, observe, perceive, see, mark, think about, give thought to, consider, contemplate, study, pay attention to, attend to; look into, investigate, check out: Have you ever noted how people try to avoid you because of your bad temper?

Note how quickly the days seem to grow shorter towards the end of summer. A detective has been assigned to note every move the suspect makes. 12 record, register, write down, put or set down, put on record, jot down, put in writing, chronicle: The traffic warden noted down the number-plate of the car. 13 call attention to, remark on or about, mention, report, touch on, comment on or about: The report failed to note the disappearance of the murder weapon.

noted adj. respected, eminent, distinguished, illustrious, esteemed, acclaimed; well-known, famous, famed, prominent, celebrated, notable, popular; notorious: We are pleased to welcome the noted violinist, David Popov. Was it his aunt or his mother who ran the noted house of ill repute near Brighton?

noteworthy

adj. notable, exceptional, extraordinary, out of the ordinary, unusual, rare, uncommon, singular, unique, different: Miss

Byrne has made many a noteworthy contribution to our knowledge of local Roman sites.

nothing n. 1 naught or nought, nothing at all or whatsoever, no thing, not anything, Taboo slang Brit bugger-all, (sweet) Fanny Adams or F.A., SFA: Nothing that you tell me can be held against you in court. You may think it important, but I tell you it is

nothing. 2 cipher, zero, nobody, nonentity: If it weren't for her, he would be nothing. 3 trifle, bagatelle, Colloq peanuts: A million is nothing to him.

notice v. 1 note, take or make note (of), take notice (of), pay or give attention to, attend (to), heed, take heed (of), give heed to, mark, remark, mind, observe, perceive, see: Notice how