NW
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Northwest |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Geography & Places, Texting & Internet Slang |
NW has two meanings. It stands for Northwest (direction) or No worries (texting and chat).
Meanings of NW at a glance
| # | NW stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwest | Geography & Places › Direction |
| 2 | No worries | Texting & Internet Slang › Texting and Chat |
1. Northwest
Geography & Places · Direction Abbreviations
Intercardinal direction between north and west, at 315 degrees. Washington, D.C.'s largest quadrant is NW, home to the White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW.
Example: The storm is moving NW at 15 miles per hour.
Leaving off NW in a D.C. address can send mail to a different street, since many street names repeat in all four quadrants. Portland, Oregon, divides its addresses into sextants that include NW. The Pacific Northwest is often written PNW.
2. No worries
Texting & Internet Slang · Texting and Chat Abbreviations
Reassuring reply meaning "it's fine" or "no problem," used after thanks or an apology. Common in Australian, British and increasingly American English.
Example: Nw, I can push the meeting to 3 if that helps.
Strongly associated with Australia, where "no worries" is a national catchphrase. Friendly and widely accepted in casual work chat. In geography and on maps NW means northwest, which context makes clear.
Related abbreviations
More direction abbreviations
- NB – Northbound
- NE – Northeast
- NNE – North-northeast
- NNW – North-northwest
- S – South
- SB – Southbound
- SE – Southeast
- SSE – South-southeast
See all 23 direction abbreviations →