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View synonyms for

nuance

[ noo-ahns, nyoo-, noo-ahns, nyoo-; French ny-ahns ]

noun

plural nuances
  1. a subtle difference or distinction in expression, meaning, response, etc.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

  2. a very slight difference or variation in color or tone.


verb (used with object)

nuanced, nuancing.
  1. to give nuance to; to color:

    She carefully nuanced her words, to put a positive spin on the situation.

nuance

/ njuːˈɑːns; ˈnjuːɑːns /

noun

  1. a subtle difference in colour, meaning, tone, etc; a shade or graduation
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to give subtle differences to

    carefully nuanced words

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

nuance

  1. A fine shade of meaning: “I liked the film, but I know I missed some of its nuances.”
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Other Word Forms

  • Գ·Գ adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of nuance1

First recorded in 1775–85; from French: “shade, hue,” equivalent to nu(er) “to shade” (literally, “to cloud”), from unattested Vulgar Latin ū, derivative of unattested ū, for Latin ūŧ “cloud”) + -ance noun suffix; -ance
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Word History and Origins

Origin of nuance1

C18: from French, from nuer to show light and shade, ultimately from Latin ūŧ a cloud
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

So that I feel is a more nuanced thing where, for instance, I know with a lot of those cams, those nest cams, the public gets very upset.

From

Productive, nuanced and intelligent policy reform, they say, will produce more efficient outcomes than “division and bomb-throwing.”

From

The acting is a saving grace, especially Edgar-Jones’ commitment to nuance and Poulter’s refreshingly shaded Lee, whose depth of awareness at a critical moment is a believable surprise, beautifully handled by the actor.

From

“There’s a lot of nuances to that situation based on all the things that come with a trade, contracts and things like that,” Snead said when asked about Ramsey during a videoconference with reporters.

From

To begin with, the report took a more nuanced view of autism than the horrific picture he painted of autism sufferers.

From

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nunuanced