as in prudence
the ability to make intelligent decisions especially in everyday matters
an Oxford don who was long on erudition but a little short on everyday nous
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Recent Examples of nous
The assessment contradicts Western conventional wisdom that Moscow has approached the conflict more as a meat grinder than with strategic nous.
—
Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Alonso's coaching career has been turbocharged by his impressive tactical nous, which was the driving factor in the success of a Bayer Leverkusen side substantially less well-resourced than its rivals.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
He's credited Pep Guardiola for his tactical nous in the past, but that doesn't explain away Sevilla.
—SI.com, 2 Oct. 2019
The industry will have to use its considerable commercial nous to hit its growth targets if Brexit provokes a deep rupture with the EU.
—The Economist, 3 May 2018
Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Alonso's coaching career has been turbocharged by his impressive tactical nous, which was the driving factor in the success of a Bayer Leverkusen side substantially less well-resourced than its rivals.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
He's credited Pep Guardiola for his tactical nous in the past, but that doesn't explain away Sevilla.
—SI.com, 2 Oct. 2019
The industry will have to use its considerable commercial nous to hit its growth targets if Brexit provokes a deep rupture with the EU.
—The Economist, 3 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nous
Noun
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Additionally, a boom-and-bust cycle in the early 2000s informs some of the company’s prudence on expansion.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
19 Sep. 2025
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Meanwhile, Taiwan’s military should exercise prudence in its rules of engagement and not assume that every close call is intentional.—
JOEL WUTHNOW,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In an intense Instagram post Thursday, her 44th, the mother of three included various family album style photos over the last few years, plus some words of wisdom.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
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And that does come with wisdom, but that also comes with fury.—
Brittany Spanos,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Filler shots of chauffeurs, champagne and colossal walk-in closets with pristine designer clobber glistening and gleaming from glass shelves centred around trays and trays of priceless jewels assault the viewer’s senses between almost every scene.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
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For all the fans’ cries for the team to go all in, there’s still the matter of dollars and sense.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The kind of things that had always worked for Lorne — his wit, his charm — just didn’t land.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
25 Oct. 2025
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His wit, taste, and irreverent sense of elegance defined the brand and inspired everyone who worked with him.—
Stephen Garner,
Footwear News,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Cleveland says narcissists often disguise sarcasm as humor, slipping in cutting remarks about your intelligence, competence, or appearance but framing them as playful.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
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However, this requirement can be waived if showing the plates would interfere with investigative, law enforcement, intelligence, or security operations.—
NPR,
NPR,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nous. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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