nuance
Use Nuance in a sentence
ɑns, ˈnyu-, nuˈɑns, nyu-; noun, plural nu·anc·es [noo-ahn-siz, nyoo-, noo-ahn-siz, nyoo-; French ny-ahns] .
[noo-ahn-siz, nyoo-, noo-ahn-siz, nyoo-; French ny-ahns] . 1.
a subtle difference or distinction in expression, meaning, response, etc.
2.
a very slight difference or variation in color or tone.
Origin:
1775–85; < French: shade, hue, equivalent to nu(er) to shade (literally, to cloud < Vulgar Latin *nūbāre, derivative of *nūba, for Latin nūbēs cloud) + -ance -ance
1775–85; < French: shade, hue, equivalent to nu(er) to shade (literally, to cloud < Vulgar Latin *nūbāre, derivative of *nūba, for Latin nūbēs cloud) + -ance -ance
Related forms
nu·anced, adjective
un·nu·anced, adjective
Synonyms
1. subtlety, nicety, hint, refinement.
1. subtlety, nicety, hint, refinement.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To nuance
00:10
Nuance
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
nuance (njuːˈɑːns, ˈnjuːɑːns) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a subtle difference in colour, meaning, tone, etc; a shade or graduation |
| —vb | |
| 2. | to give subtle differences to: carefully nuanced words |
| [C18: from French, from nuer to show light and shade, ultimately from Latin nūbēs a cloud] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
nuance
1781, from Fr. nuance "slight difference, shade of color," from nuer "to shade," from nue "cloud," from Gallo-Romance *nuba, from L. nubes "cloud;" related to obnubere "to veil," from PIE *sneudh- "fog" (cf. Avestan snaoda "clouds," Welsh nudd "fog," Gk. nython, in Hesychius "dark, dusky").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
nuance [(nooh-ahns)]A fine shade of meaning: “I liked the film, but I know I missed some of its nuances.”
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
They had great speed, too, staying with every nuance of the music.
There are no shades of gray in the report, however, and the lack of nuance can be disconcerting.
They are open to wide interpretation, and are therefore loaded with nuance in themselves.
Unfortunately such familiarity does not come across in this piece, which seems to be missing nuance in key places.
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