2 N‑COUNT Knitting needles are thin sticks that are used for knitting. They are usually made of plastic or metal and have a point at one end.
3 N‑COUNT A needle is a thin hollow metal rod with a sharp point, which is part of a medical instrument called a syringe. It is used to put a drug into someone's body, or to take blood out.
4 N‑COUNT A needle is a thin metal rod with a point which is put into a patient's body during acupuncture.
5 N‑COUNT On an instrument which measures something such as speed or weight, the needle is the long strip of metal or plastic on the dial that moves backwards and forwards, showing the measurement. □ She kept looking at the dial on the boiler. The needle had reached 250 degrees.
6 N‑COUNT [usu pl] The needles of a fir or pine tree are its thin, hard, pointed leaves. □ The carpet of pine needles was soft underfoot.
7 VERB If someone needles you, they annoy you continually, especially by criticizing you. □ [V n] Blake could see he had needled Jerrold, which might be unwise.
8 → see also pins and needles
9 like looking for a needle in a haystack → see haystack
nee |dle ex|change (needle exchanges ) also needle-exchange N‑COUNT A needle exchange is a place where drug addicts are able to obtain new syringes in exchange for used ones. □ …needle exchange schemes.
need|less /niː dləs/
1 ADJ Something that is needless is completely unnecessary. □ But his death was so needless. □ 'I have never knowingly exposed any patient to needless risks,' he said. ● need|less|ly ADV [ADV with v, oft ADV adj] □ Half a million women die needlessly each year during childbirth.
2 PHRASE You use needless to say when you want to emphasize that what you are about to say is obvious and to be expected in the circumstances. [EMPHASIS ] □ Our budgie got out of its cage. Needless to say, the cat caught it.
needle|work /niː d ə lwɜː r k/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Needlework is sewing or stitching that is done by hand. □ She did beautiful needlework and she embroidered table napkins.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Needlework is the activity of sewing or stitching. □ …watching my mother and grandmothers doing needlework.
needn't /niː d ə nt/ Needn't is the usual spoken form of 'need not'.
needy /niː di/ (needier , neediest ) ADJ [usu ADJ n] Needy people do not have enough food, medicine, or clothing, or adequate houses. □ …a multinational force aimed at ensuring that food and medicine get to needy refugees. ● N‑PLURAL The needy are people who are needy. □ There will be efforts to get larger amounts of food to the needy.
ne|fari|ous /n I feə riəs/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe an activity as nefarious , you mean that it is wicked and immoral. [LITERARY ] □ Why make a whole village prisoner if it was not to some nefarious purpose?
neg. Neg. is a written abbreviation for negative .
ne|gate /n I ge I t/ (negates , negating , negated )
1 VERB If one thing negates another, it causes that other thing to lose the effect or value that it had. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] These weaknesses negated his otherwise progressive attitude towards the staff.
2 VERB If someone negates something, they say that it does not exist. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] He warned that to negate the results of elections would only make things worse.
ne|ga|tion /n I ge I ʃ ə n/
1 N‑SING The negation of something is its complete opposite or something which destroys it or makes it lose its effect. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] Unintelligible legislation is the negation of the rule of law and of parliamentary democracy.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Negation is disagreement, refusal, or denial. [FORMAL ] □ Isabella shook her head, but in bewilderment, not negation.
nega|tive ◆◇◇ /ne gət I v/ (negatives )
1 ADJ A fact, situation, or experience that is negative is unpleasant, depressing, or harmful. □ The news from overseas is overwhelmingly negative. □ All this had an extremely negative effect on the criminal justice system. ● nega|tive|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ This will negatively affect the result over the first half of the year.
2 ADJ If someone is negative or has a negative attitude, they consider only the bad aspects of a situation, rather than the good ones. □ When asked for your views about your current job, on no account must you be negative about it. □ Why does the media present such a negative view of this splendid city? ● nega|tive|ly ADV [usu ADV after v] □ A few weeks later he said that maybe he viewed all his relationships rather negatively. ● nega|tiv|ity /ne gət I v I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ I loathe negativity. I can't stand people who moan.
3 ADJ A negative reply or decision indicates the answer 'no'. □ Dr Velayati gave a vague but negative response. □ Upon a negative decision, the applicant loses the protection offered by Belgian law. ● nega|tive|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ 60 percent of the sample answered negatively.
4 N‑COUNT A negative is a word, expression, or gesture that means 'no' or 'not'. □ In the past we have heard only negatives when it came to following a healthy diet.
5 ADJ In grammar, a negative clause contains a word such as 'not', 'never', or 'no-one'.
6 ADJ If a medical test or scientific test is negative , it shows no evidence of the medical condition or substance that you are looking for. □ So far 57 have taken the test and all have been negative. □ …negative test results.