Words

Pronunciation

 (part of speech)

Word Charge

Word Group

Naïve

\niy EEV\ (adj.)

– charge INEXPERIENCED

lacking experience and understanding

Although the newly elected politician was very naive about political maneuvering in Washington, it only took her a few weeks to learn the tricks of Congress.

Narcissism

\NAR sih sizm\ (n.)

– charge PROUD

excessive love or admiration of oneself

Miguel, plagued by narcissism, could never admit to others that he had made a mistake.

Navigable

\NAV ih gu bul\ (adj.)

+ charge EXPERIENCED

sufficient for vessels to pass through

Although the water around Cape Horn is navigable, it is such a dangerous and expensive journey that most boats must sail through the Panama Canal to cross the Americas.

Nefarious

\ni FAHR ee uss\ (adj.)

– charge HOSTILE

vicious, evil

Nefarious deeds are never far from the sinister villain’s mind.

Negate

\ne GAYTI (v.)

– charge TAKE AWAY

nullify, deny

By making a separate rule protecting foreigners in the kingdom, the ruler negated charges that visitors were unwelcome.

Negligent

\NEG lih jent\ (adj.)

– charge INACTIVE

careless, inattentive

The court determined that Mr. Glass had been negligent in failing to keep his vicious dog chained up.

Negligible

\NEG lih ju bul\ (adj.)

– charge SIZE

not worth considering

It’s obvious from our negligible dropout rate that our students love our program.

Neutrality

\Inoo TRAL ih tee\ (n.)

= charge UNBIASED

disinterest, impartiality

Switzerland is well known for its neutrality in times of international conflict.

Neutralize

\NOO truh liyz\ (v.)

= charge IMPROVE

to balance, offset

Dr. Schwartz poured acid in the beaker to neutralize the basic solution.

Nitpick

\NIT pik\ (v.)

– charge CRITICIZE

to criticize minor details

Unable to find fault with the general behavior of the company, the difficult stockholder decided instead to nitpick and pointed out misspellings in its correspondence.

Nonchalant

\non shuh LAHNT\ (adj.)

= charge UNINTERESTED

calm, casual, seemingly unexcited

Humphrey Bogart often played characters who were remarkably nonchalant, remaining calm and composed even in the most difficult situations.

Nondescript

\non des KRIPT\ (adj.)

= charge SIMPLE

lacking interesting or distinctive qualities

The celebrity showed up wearing sunglasses and a nondescript black outfit.

Nostalgic

\nah STAHL jik\ (adj.)

= charge TIME

longing for things of the past

After seeing her favorite movie, Altoona became nostalgic for the clothes and games of her early teen years.

Notable

\NO tu bul\ (adj.)

= charge IMPORTANT

remarkable, worthy of notice

Sean didn’t bother explaining the rules of the game again because no notable changes had been made since the last game.

Notion

\NO shin\ (n.)

= charge BELIEF

idea or conception

Mandatory school uniforms is a notion that has been tossed back and forth in governments, but has never been implemented on a national scale in the United States.

Novelty

\NAHV ul tee\ (n.)

= charge UNUSUAL

something new and unusual

Although sound and talking in movies is commonplace today, their introduction in the film The Jazz Singer was a novelty to audiences of the time.

Novice

\NAHV is\ (n.)

= charge INEXPERIENCED

beginner, apprentice

Although Jen is only a novice at sailing, she shows great potential.

Nudge

\NUJ\ (n.)

= charge ENCOURAGE

gentle push

In his hurry to get to the front of the line, Mark kept nudging all the people around him and asking them to let him through.

Nullify

\NUL ih fiy\ (v.)

= charge TAKE AWAY

to make legally invalid; to counteract the effect of

Crystal nullified her contract with her publisher when she received a better offer from another company.

Nurture

\NOOR chur\ (v.)

+ charge HELPFUL

to help develop, cultivate

Scientists today believe that dinosaurs lived in groups so mothers could better nurture their babies when they were born.