Word
nous
US/ˈnus/
UK/nˈuːz/
Definition
n. the ability to think clearly and make good judgments. It is a more formal or philosophical way to say 'common sense'.
n. the faculty of reason or common sense; the ability to make sound judgments. Often used in philosophical contexts to distinguish between practical wisdom and abstract logic.
Examples
“He has a lot of nous and always knows the right thing to do.”
“The manager praised the team for their nous in identifying the problem before it caused any major damage.”
Examples
simple
“He has a lot of nous and always knows the right thing to do.”
contextual
“The manager praised the team for their nous in identifying the problem before it caused any major damage.”
Real-World Examples
“They have no shortage of decent-to-good players at Hibs, but there is something missing, some steel, perhaps, some mentality, some leadership, some coaching nous.” “Andrews’s tactical nous was at its peak in the first half.” Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek νοῦς (noûs) or νόος (nóos, “mind”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/nous