Nouns That Start With Z

Here, we've highlighted 50 nouns that start with Z. It is a rare letter, so many of these words may seem a bit obscure. That's intentional. Grappling with unusual words, catching the recurring elements, and identifying prefixes and suffixes, is an important part of getting to grips with English as a whole.

Given the simplest possible definition, a noun is a word representing a thing. More specifically, a noun represents a person, place, object or idea. Whether it's as simple as going to the zoo or as complex as zeaxanthin, we interact with nouns every day.

In addition to whether they represent a person, a place, a thing or an idea, nouns can also be organized into groups based on how they work in language. Some of the most common groups follow.

• Abstract nouns represent the "idea" part of "person, place, thing or idea." Concepts like "capitalism" or "joy" are abstract nouns: we can't see or touch them, but they certainly exist.
• A collective noun refers to a group of people or things, such as a "team" of basketball players or a "committee" of politicians.
• As a rule, if a noun doesn't fit in any of the other listed categories, it's a common noun. Common nouns are by far the majority of nouns, ranging from aardvarks to zymometers.
• A possessive noun indicates that something belongs or relates to the noun in question, and it is almost always followed by an apostrophe and an "s." For example, in the phrase "Zelda's cheese," "Zelda's" is a possessive noun. Note that possessive nouns are often proper nouns, as with cheese-loving Zelda, but they don't have to be. Whether you're talking about a "ball's" trajectory, a "computer's" RAM or a "game's" high score, you're using possessive nouns.

To use proper nouns properly, you need to know that they're the formal names of people, places, things or ideas. For example, in the sentence "Zach is a zealot," "zealot" is a common noun, but Zach is a proper noun. Proper nouns should always be capitalized.

Here follow 10 sentences to show you how nouns starting with Z work in everyday written language. For more help with sentence structure, check out our sentence variety examples and articles on compound and declarative sentences.

1. Debbie started her frustrating day by finding a big zit on her nose.
2. She made herself pasta with zucchini and sat down to think.
3. She reflected on her final class project on zooplankton.
4. She had been so enthusiastic about her studies, but now she felt like a zombie in her cubicle job.
5. But, she couldn't suppress a smile as she looked at the zirconia on her finger.
6. Debbie poured herself a glass of zinfandel and reflected on all the good things in her life.
7. Debbie promised herself to connect with the zookeeper tomorrow to look for jobs in her field.
8. Happy with her plan, Debbie enjoyed the warm zephyr from her balcony.
9. She roused herself to do her evening stretches with her usual zeal.
10. Tomorrow was another day, one she intended to live to its zenith.

If you're not ready to move on from Z, you'll be glad to learn that there are still more words to explore. Go to Wordfinder by YourDictionary for even more terms that begin with the letter Z, revealed in order by word length. Use the built-in search feature to limit to words of whatever length interests you the most. Or, quickly find options that include, begin or end with certain letters or combinations of letters. WordFinder's word list feature makes easy work of creating your own custom lists of words that start with Z or any other letter that you want to explore.

Zs can be tricky, but there's no better way to obtain real expertise with English. Getting your head around English's resident Greek refugee is one of the real challenges of the language. Once you've got it, you're golden for anything else this curious tongue can throw at you. Need more? We've got you covered. For even more lexicographical learning, check out Adjectives That Start With H.