bald

[bawld]

adjective

1. having little or no hair on the scalp.

   a bald head;

   a bald person.

2. destitute of some natural growth or covering.

   a bald mountain.

3. lacking detail; bare; plain; unadorned.

   a bald prose style.

4. open; undisguised.

   a bald lie.

   Synonyms: flat-out, downright, out-and-out, utter, patent, flagrant, barefaced, bare

5. Zoology.,  having white on the head.

   the bald eagle.

6. Automotive.,  (of a tire) having the tread completely worn away.

verb (used without object)

1. to become bald.

noun

1. (often initial capital letter),  a treeless mountaintop or area near the top: often used as part of a proper name.

bald

/ bɔːld /

adjective

1. having no hair or fur, esp (of a man) having no hair on all or most of the scalp

2. lacking natural growth or covering

3. plain or blunt

   a bald statement

4. bare or simple; unadorned

5. Also: baldfaced. (of certain birds and other animals) having white markings on the head and face

6. (of a tyre) having a worn tread

Other Word Forms

• baldish adjective
• baldly adverb
• baldness noun
• half-bald adjective
• semibald adjective
• semibaldly adverb
• semibaldness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bald¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English ball(e)d, equivalent to ball “white spot” (compare Welsh bal, Greek phaliós “having a white spot”) + -ed -ed ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of bald¹

C14 ballede (literally: having a white spot); related to Danish bǣldet , Greek phalaros having a white spot

Example Sentences

Even though he looks like a teenager, the main guy is bald.

Read more on Literature

She was bald, weighed about seven pounds, and was nineteen inches tall.

Read more on Literature

With his bald pate, dark-framed glasses and knowing demeanor, he has become one of the foremost chroniclers of the world’s media barons and Manhattan potentates.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He often sent pictures of himself in a hoodie, his bald head and face hard to make out in shadow.

Read more on BBC

“Maybe next week, a bald eagle will fall dead out of the sky and splat right on the White House lawn.”

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• bare 
• hairless 
• naked 

When To Use

What is a basic definition of bald?

Bald describes a person as having no or little hair on their head. Bald also means to lose one’s hair and describes something as being out in the open or not hidden. Bald has several other senses as an adjective and one as a noun.A bald person lacks hair on their head. There are multiple reasons why a person might be bald. For many bald men, becoming bald is the result of a genetic condition known as male pattern baldness, which causes their hair to thin and fall out as they age. A person may be bald because they shave their head or because of chemotherapy, which often causes hair loss all over the body. While animals who don’t have fur or hair could be called bald, hairless is more commonly used.

• Real-life examples: Some examples of famous bald men include basketball player Michael Jordan, singer Sinead O’Connor, and the 14th Dalai Lama.



• Used in a sentence: Chang had hair in his 30s but was completely bald by the time he turned 40.

In this same sense, bald is used as a verb to mean to become bald. The phrase “go bald” is also commonly used.

• Used in a sentence: Phillip began to bald early in life so he decided to start shaving his head.

Bald is also used to describe something that is out in the open and acknowledged. A bald insult, for example, is one that you don’t try to hide. You say it boldly and unapologetically.

• Used in a sentence: Fanny said a bald lie when asked why she didn’t go to work.