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
-
Reverence for the past, and reluctance to destroy until the risks of destruction are fully known, is not timidity but wisdom, in architecture as in life.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
-
My daughter, in all her wisdom and childhood intuition, figured this out right away.—
Christa Carmen,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This, plus the ongoing calls among family members, maintains a powerful sense of human connection and love.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The move turned out to be a blessing for Harrison, who has felt a sense of relief since leaving the dating show.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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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South Korea’s intelligence agency estimated in September that about 2,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed in the fighting.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Greta Lee is an intelligence officer pulled from a Gettysburg trip with her kid to deliver some important North Korean intel.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nous. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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