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• nth
  nth

  adjective

  being the last in a series of infinitely decreasing or increasing values, amounts, etc.
• Nth
  Nth

  abbreviation

  North

nth

American  

[enth] / ɛnθ /

adjective

1. being the last in a series of infinitely decreasing or increasing values, amounts, etc.

2. (of an item in a series of occurrences, planned events, things used, etc., that is thought of as being infinitely large) being the latest, or most recent.

   This is the nth time I've told you to eat slowly.

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idioms

1. the nth degree / power,

   1. a high degree or power.

   2. the utmost degree or extent.

      The new hotel was luxurious to the nth degree.

nth ¹ British  

/ ɛnθ /

adjective

1. maths of or representing an unspecified ordinal number, usually the greatest in a series of values

   the nth power

2. informal being the last, most recent, or most extreme of a long series

   for the nth time, eat your lunch!

3. informal to the utmost extreme; as much as possible

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Nth ² British  

abbreviation

1. North

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nth More Idioms  

1. see to the nth degree.

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Etymology

Origin of nth

First recorded in 1850–55; N (the symbol in mathematics) + -th ²

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Explanation

Use the adjective nth to mean "utmost" or "most recent in a very long series," like when you have to ask your brother for the nth time to please stop borrowing money from your piggy bank. Mathematicians use this term to represent an indefinite number: "Here's a formula for finding nth roots." In everyday speech, nth satisfies a similar need — it stands for an unspecific large number. So you might complain that it's the nth time this month you've missed the bus, or that a popular TV show is stupid to the nth degree. Nth has been used in this way since the late 1800s, from n as an abbreviation of number.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nth Nth

One judge said the claimed difference with gambling “is sophistry to the nth degree. . . . It’s still the house.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026

This goes to the nth degree when it comes to war in this region, where illusion, hypocrisy, and mendacity reign as in few others.

From Slate ● May 13, 2024

This block also includes three prime-time games in the span of four weeks, a run that ends against Aaron Rodgers in MetLife Stadium on a Monday night sure to be hyped to the nth degree.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2023

Here, Cage takes that to the nth degree in a metanarrative that syncs his fandom’s Cage-related obsessions with his own reflections on stardom.

From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2023

She blinks a few times, considering, then Isabelle comes up and announces that the regional manager will be visiting our store tomorrow, so everything has to be “zoned to the nth degree.”

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Park Jihyun, who, as a young student journalist, uncovered the Nth room sex-ring back in 2019, has since become a political advocate for victims of digital sex crimes.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2024

We were in concert to the Nth with that one.”

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 17, 2018

Congratulations to everyone occupying the vacant property at 34 Nth Frederick St, Dublin.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 5, 2018

Prine’s loyal following includes no less than Bob Dylan, who told an interviewer in 2009, “Prine’s stuff is pure Proustian existentialism. Midwestern mind-trips to the Nth degree. And he writes beautiful songs.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2016

The functions which these people provided were stupid to the verge of distraction; really they were only the week-day receptions and Sunday-afternoon calls of Squeedunk and Hohokus raised to the Nth power.

From The Titan by Theodore Dreiser

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