Mnemonic Wordlist-N

 

nadir

n.  lowest point

Although few people realized it, the Dow-Jones averages had reached their nadirand would soon begin an upward surge.

Ant: apex

Ant: pinnacle, apex

 

naivete

n.  quality of being unsophisticated

I cannot believe that such naiveteis unassumed in a person of her age and experience.

Ant: sophistication

 

narcissist

n.  conceited person

A narcissistis his own best friend.

Mnemonic: 1) narrow + see~ see narrowlu  , a conceated person 2) contains NAR(in hindi it means nari...ie a LADY)..and ladies are fond ofthemselves and like selfpraise ...hence narcissist....NO OFFENCE to fellow women..;)

 

narrative

adj.  related to telling a story

A born teller of tales, Olsen used her impressive narrativeskills to advantage in her story "I Stand Here Ironing."

 

nascent

adj.  incipient; coming into being

If we could identify these revolutionary movements in their nascentstate, we would be able to eliminate serious trouble in later years.

Ant: fading

 

natation

n.  swimming

The Red Cross emphasizes the need for courses in natation.

Mnemonic: 1) neta +shine (natation) by swiming in atlanitic seas.. 2) This is really stupid... nata in hindi means short in height...we know swimmingincreasesheight..hence natation is the solution to the height problem. 2) floatation 

 

natty

adj.  neatly or smartly dressed

Priding himself on being a nattydresser, the gangster Bugsy Siegel collected a wardrobe of imported suits and ties.

Mnemonic: 1)  natty (nety)- uses net well ..while well dress 2)NATTY sounds like NEAT and tidy so natty

Syn: dapper , dashing , jaunty , raffish , rakish , snappy , spiffy , spruce

 

nauseate

v.  cause to become sick; fill with disgust

The foul smells began to nauseatehim.

Mnemonic: 1)nause(sounds like NOSE)+a. As we all smell through our NOSE and if we smellsomething foul,something odurous..we get a feeling of nausea or wanting to VOMIT.

 

nautical

adj.  pertaining to ships or navigation

The Maritime Museum contains many models of clipper ships, logbooks, anchors and many other items of a nauticalnature.

 

nebulous

adj.  vague; hazy; cloudy

She had only a nebulousmemory of her grandmother's face.

Syn: Cloudy, Opaque, Turbid (Water), Murky (Night), Nebulous

Ant: clear, distinct, Azure, Transparent, Clear, Limpid, Incandescent, Luminescent

 

necromancy

n.  black magic; dealings with the dead

Because he was able to perform feats of necromancy, the natives thought he was in league with the devil.

Mnemonic: 1)necro (dead) +man+ cy (sea)~

 

nefarious

adj.  very wicked

He was universally feared because of his many nefariousdeeds.

Mnemonic: 1)no + feri + ice~ new feri in ice with all wicked person jumping and pumping

Ant: virtuous, angelic, benign

 

negation

n.  denial

I must accept his argument since you have been unable to present any negationof his evidence.

Ant: affirmation

 

negligence

n.  carelessness

negligencecan prove costly near complicated machinery.

 

negligible

adj.  so small, trifling, or unimportant as to be easily disregarded

Because the damage to his car had been negligible, Michael decided he wouldn't bother to report the matter to his insurance company.

 

nemesis

n.  revenging agent

Captain Bligh vowed to be Christian's nemesis.

Mnemonic: 1) not+my+sis hence wants to take revenge..my sister wouldn't have been thecause of mydownfall. 2) Genesis(the old testament, bible) tells us to refrain from nemesis

 

neologism

n.  new or newly coined word or phrase

As we invent new techniques and professions, we must also invent neologismssuch as "microcomputer" and "astronaut" to describe them.

Mnemonic: 1)'neo' means 'new' and 'logos' means 'word'; so 'neologism' means inventing newword.

 

neophyte

n.  recent convert; beginner

This mountain slope contains slides that will challenge experts as well as neophytes.

Mnemonic: 1)neo+phyte ~ new + fight; A new member or beginner always has to fightto establish his own identity. 2)split the word into "neo = the matrix hero" and "phyte = fight". Thus neofights in matrix movie as a beginner or new commer to save the revolution.

Syn: Inexperienced person, Fledgling, Beginner, Tyro, Greenhorn, Callow, Neophyte, Novice, Proselyte

Ant: veteran, Expert, Master, Virtuosity

 

nepotism

n.  favoritism (to a relative)

John left his position with the company because he felt that advancement was based on nepotismrather than ability.

Mnemonic: 1)ne + poti + sm ~ poti (grand-daughter) .. every grand father showsfavoritism for his grand daughter.

 

nether

adj.  lower

Tradition locates hell in the netherregions.

Mnemonic: 1) "NetherLand" is a country which is quite below sea level and also called aHolland meaning hollow land. Hence can be remembered as "Nether"+"land"

 

nettle

v.  annoy; vex

Do not let him nettleyou with his sarcastic remarks.

Ant: mollify

Mneonic: 1) Nettle sounds like kettle. A Kettle boiling water makes a lot of noise andis thereforeirriating and annoying. It also means "worried". 2)"net + tle, when internet is slow like turtle.... annoyed!"

Syn: annoy , bother , chafe , devil , get at , get to , gravel , irritate , nark , rag , rile ,vex

 

nexus

n.  connection

I fail to see the nexusthat binds these two widely separated events.

Ant: schism

 

nib

n.  beak; pen point

The nibsof fountain pens often become clotted and corroded.

Mnemonic: 1) broken nib.

 

nicety

n.  precision; minute distinction

I cannot distinguish between such nicetiesof reasoning.

Mnemonic: 1)break nicety as 'nice'& 'ty' as 'tea' so its 'nice tea' that means it has perfect tasteand is distinct from the others. 2)nice city~ a nice city is built with perfection

Syn: 1) nuance , refinement , shade , subtlety 2) Accuracy, Precision, SECONDARY: Fastidious, finicky 

 

niggardly

adj.  meanly stingy; parsimonious

The niggardlypittance the widow receives from the government cannot keep her from poverty.

Mnemonic: 1) nigg+HARDLY....he Hardly spends money 2) ni(nahi) gar(ghar or home) jiske pass ghar nahi hai woh toh reluctant hogahi! 2) nehi gardi~ goes by walk to same fare while going by gardi

Syn: Miserly, Stingy, Skinflint(US), Parsimonious, Niggardly, Curmudgeon, Codger, Tight wart, Tightfisted, Thrifty, Frugal, Husbandry (+), Provident(+) 

Ant: lavish, prodigal

 

niggle

v.  spend too much time on minor points; carp

Let's not niggleover details.

Mnemonic: 1) niggle: sounds like a new girls..who is worrying too much about her firstday in college. 2)needless hackle 

 

nihilism

n.  denial of traditional values; total skepticism

nihilismholds that existence has no meaning.

Mnemonic: 1)take the NIL part of it...NIHLISTS are people who consider everything NIL....orin other words,who has a tendency not nullify/destroy everything.. 2)Nihilist seems like nil = ni + hi + list [ni can be related to hindi word nayi (meansnew). So, it canbe related to new list (new generation) who don’t believe in traditional methods of doingthings.

Syn: Non-existent, Existentialism, Nothingness

 

nirvana

n.  Buddhist teachings, the ideal state in which the individual loses himself in the attainment of an impersonal beatitude

Despite his desire to achieve nirvana, the young Buddhist found that even the buzzing of a fly could distract him from his meditation.

 

nocturnal

adj.  done at night

Mr. Jones obtained a watchdog to prevent the nocturnalraids on his chicken coops.

Ant: daily

 

noisome

adj.  foul smelling; unwholesome

I never could stand the noisomeatmosphere surrounding the slaughter houses.

Ant: beneficial

Ant: fragrant, beneficial

 

nomadic

adj.  wandering

Several nomadictribes of Indians would hunt in this area each year.

 

nomenclature

n.  terminology; system of names

She struggled to master scientific nomenclature.

 

nominal

adj.  in name only; trifling

He offered to drive her to the airport for only a nominalfee.

 

nonchalance

n.  indifference; lack of interest

Few people could understand how he could listen to the news of the tragedy with such nonchalance; the majority regarded him as callous and unsympathetic.

Mnemonic: 1) nonchalance rhymes like No + Challenge , When there is no challenge,people tend not to care and there will be a casual lack of concern. 2) No challan ~ no chlan for the tribes as there no interest on their wellfair

Syn: unconcern, insouciant, Indifferent, nonchalant, Insouciance, Apathetic, Callous, Ruthless, Heartless, Merciless

Ant: Pity, Commiseration, Sympathy, Empathy, Care, Concern, Solicitude, Compassion, Clemency

 

noncommittal

adj.  neutral; unpledged; undecided

We were annoyed by his noncommittalreply for we had been led to expect definite assurances of his approval.

 

nondescript

adj.  distinctive; ordinary

The private detective was a short, nondescriptfellow with no outstanding features, the sort of person one would never notice in a crowd.

Mnemonic: 1)read it as non+describe... an ordinary object does not need to be described.

 

nonentity

n.  person of no importance; nonexistence

Don't dismiss John as a nonentity; in his quiet way, he's very important to the firm.

 

nonplus

v.  bring to a halt by confusion; perplex

Jack's uncharacteristic rudeness nonplussedJill, leaving her uncertain how to react.

 

nostalgia

n.  homesickness; longing for the past

The first settlers found so much work to do that they had little time for nostalgia.

 

nostrum

n.  questionable medicine

No quack selling nostrumsis going to cheat me.

Mnemonic: 1) Homeo nostrum (raw medices) 2)put RUM in the NOSTrils.....to cure cold.... :D

 

notoriety

n.  disrepute; ill fame

To the starlet, any publicity was good publicity: if she couldn't have a good reputation, she'd settle for notoriety.

 

novelty

n.  something new; newness

The computer is no longer a noveltyaround the office.

 

novice

n.  beginner

Even a novicecan do good work if he follows these simple directions.

 

noxious

adj.  harmful

We must trace the source of these noxiousgases before they asphyxiate us.

Mnemonic: 1)NOXIOUS=TOXIOUS.........harmful 2) naxal in bihar are noxious

Syn: Foul, Stench, Poisonous, Mephitic, Miasmatic, Noisome, Noxious, Fetid, Feculent, Putrid, Putrefaction, Morbific *, SEC: Pestilential, Scourge

Ant: Salubrious, Salutary, Wholesome, Healthy

 

nuance

n.  shade of difference in meaning or color

The unskilled eye of the layperson has difficulty in discerning the nuancesof color in the paintings.

 

nubile

adj.  marriageable

Mrs. Bennet, in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, was worried about finding suitable husbands for her five nubiledaughters.

Mnemonic: 1)can sound like NABALIK (below 18 years age) so unmarried 2)Sounds like NEW BALIKA (hindi) - just turned 18 and hencereached amarrigeable age. 3) nu (new)+bile (bile) duct is hanging a marrg topi 

 

nugatory

adj.  futile; worthless

This agreement is nugatoryfor no court will enforce it.

Mnemonic: 1) nuga (naga) + tory 

Ant: consequential

Mnemonic: 1) almost sounds like New+Gay+Tree.which is futile because gays wonthave a nice family tree.(NO OFFENSE whatsoever).. (Should be original) 2)No+guarantee, i.e a product which has no guarantee, is worthless.

 

nullify

v.  to make invalid

Once the contract was nullified, it no longer had any legal force.

Syn: Repeal (in Parliament), Rescind (Superior --- Inferior), Quash (Judges), Revoke(Suspension, appointment), Countermand (an election), Cancel, Abolish, Abrogate, Annul, Invalidate, Nullify

Ant: Retain status quo

 

numismatist

n.  person who collects coins

The numismatisthad a splendid collection of antique coins.

 

nuptial

adj.  related to marriage

Their nuptialceremony was performed in Golden Gate Park.

 

nurture

v.  nourish; educate; foster

The head Start program attempts to nurtureprekindergarten children so that they will do well when they enter public school.

 

nutrient

n.  nourishing substance

As a budding nutritionist, Kim has learned to design diets that contain foods rich in important basic nutrients.