Words have power. Words can build empires, ruin cities, build lasting friendships, and open our minds. The words we choose to use and how we use them are often the first real impressions other people get about us and our character. As we choose to be more deliberate, and careful, about the words we speak, we choose to have more direct control over the impact we have on our world and ourselves.

What does it mean to be positive? What makes a word positive? A word with personally positive connotations for you can have a strong negative meaning for someone else. Meanings can change between cultures and regions. Whenever we hear a word, we immediately begin to negotiate with its meaning and intent. We assign purpose to the words without knowing it. However, there are words that carry a generally positive or reassuring meaning for most people (in English, of course).

So, if you’re trying to sound more positive toward yourself, in your professional and casual communication, or when you’re having a bad day, what better letter to start with than N? You can begin by substituting any of these for negative words in your daily dictionary. You can take a few and try to incorporate them into your regular speech. Or, you can build new affirmations or phrases around them for when you’re struggling. We’ve divided these positive words into applicable scenarios, but they can be used in any situation. Here are 28 positive words that start with N.

Words for Positive Affirmation

• #28: Neutral
• #27: Nice
• #26: Numinous
• #25: Nurturing

These are words you can use to reassure yourself of your life journey, your work for the day, or to reaffirm the journey someone else is on. These can help remind you what your goals are for your life, or to help adjust your mindset in the mornings.

Reminding yourself to be neutral during your day is a great way to take control of your life and your emotions. Begin the day without regret about yesterday or apprehension about tomorrow. Be neutral when unexpected or unwanted emotions overwhelm you. Making a daily commitment to be nice is never a waste of time, because everyone deserves some level of kindness. Numinous means that you have a strong spiritual quality, or exude the presence of divinity. Reminding yourself that you are part of the divine, or that you are divine yourself will help you keep track of the things that really matter during the day.

Words to Increase the Positive Feeling of an Email or Letter

• #24: Novel
• #23: Natural
• #22: Noteworthy
• #21: Nonpareil
• #20: Neat
• #19: Notable

Have you received criticism that you sound too negative in your official and professional communication? Sometimes directness can come across as rudeness. Sprinkling a few positive words can help better communicate your intended message and ease the impact of bad news. These are not back-handed compliments or empty words.

An idea can be novel, neat, or notable even if it’s not the right idea for the issue at hand. Pointing out the positive aspects of any idea, presentation, or product is always appreciated even if the product doesn’t ultimately work. Nonpareil means that something has no match or equal, and by using uncommon words like it you show that you put a little extra effort into your feedback. Describing something as natural is often very powerful feedback. Everyone wants to hear that their writing, speaking, or work style is natural.

Words for Positive Compliments

• #18: Neighborly
• #17: Nifty
• #16: Noble
• #15: Nimble
• #14: Needed
• #13: Nabob
• #12: Nontoxic
• #11: Nonviolent
• #10: Nonjudgmental
• #9: Nonthreatening

Compliments are never wasted. If you’re tired of describing someone as “cool” or are bored with your typical compliments, throwing in some new ones is sure to grab their attention and make your words mean that much more to them.

If someone brings a cup of sugar for your late-night baking, thank them for being neighborly instead of just nice. When someone is having a hard day, you can tell them that they are needed and that their daily work is noble. You can call someone nifty if they came up with a unique solution to a problem you’re facing

Regarding non-toxic, nonjudgmental, nonviolent, and nonthreatening, these are just a few of the words you can use in combustion with the prefix non-. Our natural human anxiety will make us worry that we are behaving in ways that we don’t like, or that we exude an aura that we wouldn’t want to. We can reassure others by letting them know that they are, in fact, nonthreatening or nontoxic.

Other Positive Words

• #8: Nitid
• #7: Nembutsu
• #6: Namaste/Namaskar
• #5: Nemophilist
• #4: Nexility
• #3: Needle-Noddle
• #2: Nicebecetur
• #1: No

Still looking for some new and positive words that start with n? Diving into some of the rarer words or words borrowed from other languages can have a strong impact on your writing and conversations. Of course, with any fun new word, you would want to preface its use with some explanation so other people don’t take it as an insult accidentally!

Nitid is a word that means bright or lustrous. It can be used to describe an object that is bright or a person who brings light and brightness into your life.

Nembutsu is a term in Pure Land Buddhism that means “mindfulness of Buddha”. It is a form of meditation that can be done externally or internally and involves repeating the nembutsu mantra to bring increased light and illumination into your life.

Namaste is a traditional Hindu greeting accompanied by pressing the palms of the hands together in front of you with a bow. Namaste literally means “I bow to the divine within you” or “I honor/recognize the divine inside you”. It helps us look beyond the external appearance, and the perceived reality of someone’s being, into their true nature, which is the same as ours and part of the One Great Being.

A nemopholist is someone who loves forests, woods, or flowers. If you know someone who simply can’t get enough of nature, using this word to compliment them is sure to mean a lot.

Nexility is used to describe the ability to shorten long phrases or ideas to much more brief phrases. It can be a strong talent to break down complex ideas into simple sentences, and those who master it will surely appreciate this word.

A needle-noodle is an old Scottish word for someone who enjoys working at a leisurely or easy-going pace. If you know someone who likes to take life easy or has become jaded with our capitalist system of working ourselves to death, they would love to learn this word!

Nicebecetur is a word from the old Tudor period of England. It was used to refer to a dainty and fashionable young woman. Nobody is sure about the origin of the word, but once you let someone in on the meaning, it can be a fun and positive addition to your conversation. 

Finally, the word ‘no’. This final and perhaps surprising inclusion is among the most powerful positive words you can probably incorporate more into your life. Many people consider themselves people-pleasers. They will say or do things to avoid upsetting others, awkward confrontations, or inconveniencing someone else. However, that considerate nature can become harmful to our own emotional and physical well-being. Saying ‘no’ more often allows you to take back some of the power over your own experience from those around you. It isn’t rude to say ‘no’, though it might feel like it. Those who expect you to fulfill their every wish or fix their every problem will take advantage of every inch you give them. Set your boundaries and stand up for your own journey by saying ‘no’ to people who want to take advantage of you and to things that are harmful to you.

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