noun

• 1British informal Common sense; practical intelligence.

  More example sentences

  • ‘if he had any nous at all, he'd sell the film rights’
  • ‘At least they appear to possess more nous [common sense] than is often credited to viewers of that kind of program.’
  • ‘But it is hardly surprising - when just about every aspect of the curriculum is now prescribed by the government - that teachers feel impotent to use their own know-how and nous.’
  • ‘McAllister's performances caught the eye of Liverpool manager Houllier, who was searching for an experienced campaigner to add nous and wisdom to his young midfield.’
  • ‘But her commercial nous is also easily discernible.’
  • ‘They maximise their strengths with a combination of superb execution, footballing nous and street wisdom.’
  • ‘Whatever way you set out your side, however, Celtic have the options, power and nous to undo any game plan.’
  • ‘It was a victory for footballing nous over naivety; intelligence over hopefulness.’
  • ‘Sure, it's not brain surgery, but surely we all agree there is is a certain amount of skill and nous and business acumen involved in running a restaurant.’
  • ‘Within the army there is a general opinion that some officers make good field commanders, but may not have the strategic sense to progress higher up the ranks or the political nous to become a top general.’
  • ‘Indeed his new team-mates credited his nous as a key factor in their surprising but enterprising victory at Newport in the Celtic League kick-off a week earlier.’
  • ‘What's more, South Africa, who have not been known for their tactical know-how in recent years, are showing a lot more nous under White's leadership.’
  • ‘I'm on borrowed time in the game, but I'm probably getting by on a bit of nous, a bit of guile, and a bit of competitive instinct.’
  • ‘David Aaronovitch accuses the intelligentsia of prejudice, cynicism and a lack of political nous in criticising Tony Blair’
  • ‘Her political nous and plain-speaking (she speaks five languages) made her an instant hit on the political circuit, particularly with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.’
  • ‘Fishermen rely on their nous and their knowledge, two things that will be useless in a time of change.’
  • ‘So, they acquiesced in the game of the Democratic Leadership Council, surrendered their political nous and sold their souls to arbiters of ‘mainstream’ liberalism.’
  • ‘‘Active mandates’ - in which investment managers use their nous to decide where to invest for greater returns - command much higher fees.’
  • ‘What is it about the Dutch that enables a comparatively small nation to produce consecutive generations of players who are streets ahead of their European contemporaries in terms of technique and tactical nous?’
  • ‘Keeping sport free of harmful manifestations of politics is another matter, but few sports have ever had leaders with either the will or the political nous to try.’
  • ‘Students will take elements of the university's MBA programme because as well as having the technological skills, companies prefer someone who also has business nous.’

  Synonyms

  good sense, sense, sensibleness, native wit, native intelligence, mother wit, wit, judgement, sound judgement, level-headedness, prudence, discernment, acumen, sharpness, sharp-wittedness, canniness, astuteness, shrewdness, judiciousness, wisdom, insight, intuition, intuitiveness, perceptiveness, perspicacity, vision, understanding, intelligence, reason, powers of reasoning

• 2Philosophy
  The mind or intellect.

  ‘In antiquity commentators traditionally referred to this intellect as the active intellect, nous poiêtikos.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘The Greek word for repentance is metanoia (from meta, ‘after’, and nous, ‘mind’).’
  • ‘Sorcery is a tiny facet of magic, whose final goal is the realisation of nous and the unification of heaven and earth.’
  • ‘However, it was the power of nous, or mind, that not only created the world but also was the driving force in its day to day processes.’
  • ‘At first the seeds lay mingled without order; but nous set the unarranged matter into motion, and thereby created out of chaos an orderly world.’

  Synonyms

  rationality, logic, logical thought, scientific thinking, reasoning, thought, cognition