Discover a variety of words that start with “Z” to enhance your vocabulary and spice up your conversations.
- Zany- amusingly unconventional and idiosyncratic.
- Zeal- great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective.
- Zealous- having or showing zeal.
- Zealot- a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals.
- Zenith- the time at which something is most powerful or successful.
- Zephyr- a soft gentle breeze.
- Zero- nothing, or a numerical value representing nothing.
- Zest- great enthusiasm and energy.
- Zesty- having a strong, pleasant, and somewhat spicy flavor or smell.
- Zigzag- a line or course having abrupt alternate right and left turns.
- Zinc- a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30.
- Zinger- a striking or amusing remark.
- Zipline- a cable or rope stretched between points of different heights, down which a person can ride for amusement.
- Zipper- a device consisting of two flexible metal or plastic strips with interlocking projections closed or opened by pulling a slide along them.
- Zodiac- a belt of the heavens within about 8° either side of the ecliptic, including all apparent positions of the sun, moon, and most familiar planets.
- Zombie- a fictional undead being created through the reanimation of a human corpse.
- Zone- a region or area distinctly specified.
- Zoo- an establishment that maintains a collection of wild animals, typically in a park or gardens, for study, conservation, or display to the public.
- Zoology- the scientific study of the behavior, structure, physiology, classification, and distribution of animals.
- Zoom- move or travel very quickly.
- Zucchini- a long, green type of squash.
- Zygote- a cell formed by the merging of two gametes (e.g., sperm and egg), the earliest stage of development of an embryo.
- Zincify- to coat or treat with zinc.
- Zipline- a suspended, inclined wire or rope on which one travels from higher to lower ground, typically used as a form of entertainment.
- Zymurgy- the study or practice of fermentation in brewing, winemaking, or distilling.
- Zircon- a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates; its chemical name is zirconium silicate.
- Zither- a musical instrument consisting of a flat wooden sound box strung with several strings, which are plucked with the fingers or a plectrum.
- Zoonosis- a disease that can be transmitted to humans from animals.
- Zoetrope- a 19th-century optical toy consisting of a cylinder with a series of pictures on the inner surface that appeared to move when the cylinder was rotated.
- Zymologist- a scientist who studies the biochemical processes involved in fermentation.
- Zymogen- an inactive precursor of an enzyme, which requires a biochemical change to become an active enzyme.
- Zebu- a hump-backed domestic cattle native to South Asia.
- Zestful- characterized by great enthusiasm and energy.
- Zeolite- a microporous, aluminosilicate mineral commonly used as commercial absorbents and catalysts.
- Zephyr- a gentle, mild breeze.
- Zaffer- a form of cobalt oxide used in the coloring of ceramics.
- Zarzuela- a Spanish form of musical theater that alternates between spoken and sung scenes.
- Zaftig- having a full, rounded figure; plump (typically used with reference to a woman).
- Zakat- a form of alms-giving treated in Islam as a religious obligation or tax.
- Zalambdodont- a type of tooth configuration particularly seen in certain insectivorous mammals.
- Ziggurat- a rectangular stepped tower, sometimes surmounted by a temple, found in ancient Mesopotamia.
- Zamarra- a Spanish sheepskin jacket.
- Zampone- a type of Italian sausage made by stuffing a mixture typically consisting of ground pork, pork rind, and spices into the cleaned skin of a pig’s forefoot.
- Zaibatsu- a large Japanese business conglomerate.
- Zebeck- a type of three-mast sailing ship historically used in the Mediterranean.
- Zebroid- the offspring of any cross between a zebra and any other equine: typically a horse or donkey.
- Zebu- a species of domestic cattle originating in South Asia.
- Zedoary- a perennial herb native to India and Indonesia, related to turmeric.
- Zein- a class of prolamine protein found in maize.
- Zenana- a part of a house in South Asia which is reserved for the women of the household.
- Zendik- a member of a Persian sect that existed during and after the Sassanid period, which was accused of heretical practices and beliefs.
- Zenithal- relating to the zenith, the highest point in the sky directly above an observer.
- Zeppelin- a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin.
- Zeriba- an improvised stockade or thorn bush fence, especially in East Africa.
- Zesting- removing the outer parts of the peel of citrus fruits for use as flavoring.
- Zetetic- proceeding by inquiry; investigatory.
- Zibeline- a soft wool fabric with a slightly furry texture, used typically for women’s clothing.
- Ziggurat- a tiered, pyramid-shaped structure that formed part of a Sumerian temple complex.
- Zilch- nothing; zero.
- Zillion- an extremely large, indeterminate number.
- Zincate- a chemical compound containing zinc oxide and another element.
- Zincite- a mineral that is the natural form of zinc oxide.
- Zing- vitality, animation, or zest.
- Zinnia- a genus of plants of the sunflower tribe, native to scrub and dry grassland.
- Zircon- a mineral belonging to the silicate group, typically translucent and sourced for gemstone use.
- Ziti- tube-shaped pasta, larger than penne and rigatoni, commonly used in Italian-American cuisine.
- Zizith- fringes or tassels worn by observant Jewish men, traditionally attached to the corners of the prayer shawl.
- Zloty- the basic monetary unit of Poland.
- Zocalo- a town square or plaza, particularly in Mexico.
- Zodiacal- relating to the zodiac, a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude employed in horoscopic astrology.
- Zoisite- a mineral, a complex calcium aluminum silicate, part of the epidote group.
- Zombify- turn into a zombie, typically in the context of a fictional narrative.
- Zonation- distribution in zones or regions of different specific forms of life.
- Zoning- legislative process for dividing land into zones for different uses.
- Zonked- exhausted or asleep.
- Zonule- a little zone, specifically a ring of fibers connecting the ciliary body and lens of the eye.
- Zooid- an individual animal that is part of a colonial organism.
- Zoomania- an excessive enthusiasm or craze for animals.
- Zoometry- the measurement of the dimensions of the human or other animal body.
- Zoopathy- a delusion in which one believes oneself to be an animal.
- Zooplankton- plankton consisting of small animals and the immature stages of larger animals.
- Zootomy- the dissection or the anatomy of animals.
- Zootaxa- a scientific journal for the classification of animals.
- Zootic- pertaining to animals or caused by animals.
- Zootomy- an anatomical study of animals.
- Zorilla- also known as the African polecat, a skunk-like mammal found in Africa.
- Zoster- the technical name for shingles, a disease characterized by a painful, blistering skin rash.
- Zucchetto- a small, rounded skullcap worn by Roman Catholic clergy.
- Zucchini- a variety of dark green summer squash.
- Zufolo- a small flute.
- Zugzwang- a situation in chess and other games where one player is put at a disadvantage because they must make a move when they would prefer to pass and not move.
- Zumbooruk- a small cannon mounted on a swivel, often used historically in the Middle East and South Asia.
- Zuppa- an Italian term for soup.
- Zwitterion- a molecule or ion having separate positively and negatively charged groups.
- Zymology- the science of fermentation.
- Zymometer- an apparatus that measures the degree of fermentation.
- Zymosis- the process of fermentation.
- Zymotic- pertaining to or caused by infection or fermentation.
- Zymurgy- the branch of chemistry concerning fermentation processes in brewing and distilling.
- Zydeco- a form of energetic, typically accordion-led music associated with Creoles of Louisiana.