Word BookShort entry

Nous

noun/nˈuːz/

Definition

common sense

that which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings; the seat of the faculty of reason

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/nˈuːz/

🇬🇧British English

/nˈuːz/

🇮🇳Indian English

/nˈuːz/

1 syllable Say it as /nˈuːz/.

Examples

she has great social nous
his mind wandered
I couldn't get his words out of my head

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

mind head psyche brain

Parts of Speech

noun	common sense “she has great social nous”
noun	that which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings; the seat of the faculty of reason “his mind wandered”

Word Forms

mind	verb	keep in mind
psychical	adjective	affecting or influenced by the human mind
psychic	adjective	affecting or influenced by the human mind

Around the World

Europe

🇪🇸Spanish

cacumen

sentido común

🇳🇱Dutch

nou

gezond verstand

🇵🇹Portuguese

nós

senso comum

🇷🇺Russian

нус

здравый смысл

India

🇮🇳Hindi

बुद्धि

व्यावहारिक बुद्धि

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

诺斯

常识

🇯🇵Japanese

ヌース

常識

🇰🇷Korean

마음

상식

🇹🇭Thai

เซ้นส์

สามัญสำนึก

🇮🇩Indonesian

akal

kewajaran

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

عقل

الفطرة السليمة

🇮🇷Persian

عصبی

عقل سلیم

🇹🇷Turkish

akıl

sağduyu

🇮🇱Hebrew

תוּשִׁיָה

הִגָיוֹן

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'nous'?

The primary meaning of 'nous' is 'common sense'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'nous' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'nous' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'nous' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'nous' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'nous' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'nous' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'nous' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'nous' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'nous' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'nous' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted

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