Vocabulary - List 7 (N-O)

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Vocab List - 7 (N-O)

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   { N }

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** narcissistic

(adj.) egotistical; self-centered; self-love, excessive interest in ones
appearance, comfort, abilities, etc.

* The narcissistic actor was difficult to get along with.

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** nascent

(adj.) starting to grow or develop

* The nascent rage of in-line skating began on the West Coast.

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** nautical

(adj.) of the sea; having to do with sailors, ships, or navigation

* The coastal New England town had a charming nautical influence.

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** nebulous

(adj.) unclear or vague

* The ten page directions were a collection of nebulous words and figures.

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** nefarious

(adj.) morally bad; wicked

* The nefarious criminal was the scourge of the local police force.

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** nefariousness

(adj.) being villainous or wicked

* The nefariousness of the ruler was apparent when he hoarded all of the food.

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** negligence

(n.) carelessness

* Negligence contributed to the accident: She was traveling too fast for the icy conditions.

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** nemesis

(n.) a person who inflicts just punishment; retribution; a rival

* The criminal was killed by his nemesis, the brother of the man he
murdered.

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** neologism

(n.) giving a new meaning to an old word, or the act of making up new words.

* An example of a neologism is the word 'webinar', for a seminar on the web or the Internet.

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** neophyte

(n.) beginner; newcomer

* Critics applauded the neophyte’s success and speculated how much better he would get with age and experience.
 
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** nettle

(v.) annoy; irritate

* The younger brother nettled his older sister until she slapped him.

* The boy will nettle the father into agreeing.

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** neutral

(adj.) impartial; unbiased

* The mother remained neutral regarding the argument between her two children.

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** nexus

(n.) a connection

* The nexus between the shuttle and the space station was successful.

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** noisome

(adj.) harmful to health; having a foul odor

* The noisome food was the cause of their illness.  The family was forced from the home by a noisome odor.

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** nostalgic

(adj.) longing for the past; filled with bittersweet memories

* She loved her new life, but became nostalgic when she
met with her old friends.

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** nostrum

(n.) a questionable remedy for difficulties,formula, scheme

* The doctor’s prescription was so unusual that it could be seen as a nostrum.

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** notorious

(adj.) infamous; renowned; having an unfavorable connotation

* Discovering that her new neighbor was notorious for thievery, she decided to purchase an alarm system for her home. 

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** novel

(adj.) new

* It was a novel idea for the rock group to play classical music.

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** noxious

(adj.) harmful to one’s health

* The noxious fumes caused the person to become ill.

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** nugatory

(adj.) trifling; futile; insignificant

* Because the problem was nugatory it was not addressed immediately.

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** nullify

(v.) cancel; invalidate

* Drinking alcohol excessively will nullify the positive benefits of eating well and exercising daily.

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   { O }

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** oaf

(n.) a clumsy, dumb person

* The waiter has been called an oaf ever since he dropped the tray.

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** obdurate

(adj.) stubborn

* The obdurate child refused to go to school.

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** obeisance

(n.) a gesture of respect or reverence

* As an obeisance, the man took off his hat as the funeral procession drove past him.

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** obfuscate

(v.) to darken, confuse, bewilder

* The lunar eclipse will obfuscate the light of the sun.

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** objective

(adj.; n.) open-minded; impartial; goal

*(adj.) It’s hard to set aside your biases and be objective. 

*(n.) The law student decided that her primary objective after
graduation was to pass the Bar examination.

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** objurgate

(v.) to chide vehemently

* The girls disliked those boys who objurgated the group. 

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** obligatory

(adj.) mandatory; necessary; legally or morally binding

* In order to provide a reliable source of revenue for the government, it is obligatory for each citizen to pay taxes.

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** obliterate

(v.) destroy completely

* Poaching nearly obliterated the world’s whale population.

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** obloquy

(n.) widespread condemnation or abuse; disgrace or infamy resulting from this.

* The child suffered quite an obloquy at the hands of his classmates. 

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** obscure

(adj.) not easily understood; dark

* The orchestra enjoys performing obscure American works, hoping to bring them to a wider audience.

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** obsequious

(adj.) servilely attentive; fawning

* The man’s attraction to the woman would be obvious if his obsequious behavior could be noted.

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** obsolete

(adj.) out of date; pass’

* Computers have made many formerly manual tasks obsolete.

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** obstinate

(adj.) stubborn

Her father would not allow her to stay out past midnight; she thought he was obstinate because he would not change his mind. 

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** obtrude

(v.) to force oneself or one’s ideas upon another; to thrust forward; to eject

* The inquisitive coworker obtrudes into the conversation often. 

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** obtuse

(adj.) dull; greater than 90± but less than 180±; slow to understand or perceive

* The man was so obtuse, he even made the dog yawn. 

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** obviate

(v.) to make unnecessary

* The invention of cars has obviated the use of horse and carriage. 

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** occult

(adj.) hidden; beyond human understanding; mystical; mysterious

* Relating to the occult world means entering a new realm.

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** odious

(adj.) hateful; disgusting

* Having to chaperone her brother was an odious chore for the girl. 

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** odium

(n.) a hate; the disgrace from a hateful action

* Odium could be felt for the man who destroyed the school. 

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** oligarchy

(n.) form of government in which the supreme power is placed in the hands of a small, exclusive group.

* The oligarchy took control after the king was overthrown.

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** ominous

(adj.) threatening

* Seeing ominous clouds on the horizon, the street fair organizers decided to fold up their tent and go home.

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** omniscient

(adj.) having knowledge of all things

* The future can be told by the omniscient woman.

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** opalescent

(adj.) iridescent

* Her new nail polish was opalescent making her finger tips look like pearls.

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** opaque

(adj.) dull; cloudy; non-transparent

* They chose an opaque shade of green for their bathroom walls.

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** opprobrious

(adj.) abusive

* Nobody liked working for him because he was so opprobrious. 

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** optimist

(n.) person who hopes for the best; sees the good side

* He’s ever the optimist, always seeing the glass as half full.

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** opulence

(n.) wealth; fortune

* A 40-room mansion on 65 wooded acres is only the most visible sign of her opulence.

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** ornate

(adj.) elaborate; lavish; decorated

* The courthouse was framed by ornate friezes.

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** orthodox

(adj.) traditional; accepted

* The gifted child’s parents concluded that orthodox methods of education would not do their son any good, so they decided to teach him at home.

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** oscillate

(v.) to move back and forth; to have a wavering opinion

* The oscillating sprinkler system covered the entire lawn. 

* The couple often oscillates between going out and staying home.

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** ossify

(v.) to turn to bone; to harden

* Over time, the plant matter has ossified.

* The tablet will ossify when left in the sun.

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** ostensible

(adj.) apparent

* The ostensible reason for choosing the girl was for her beauty.

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** ostentatious

(adj.) being showy

* Sure he’d won the lottery, but coming to work in a stretch limo seemed a bit ostentatious .

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** ostracize

(v.) to exclude

* The students tend to ostracize the children they dislike from their games.

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** oust

(v.) drive out; eject

* The dictator was ousted in a coup detat.

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