bald
Americanadjective
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having little or no hair on the scalp.
a bald head;
a bald person.
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destitute of some natural growth or covering.
a bald mountain.
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lacking detail; bare; plain; unadorned.
a bald prose style.
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open; undisguised.
a bald lie.
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Zoology. having white on the head.
the bald eagle.
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Automotive. (of a tire) having the tread completely worn away.
verb (used without object)
noun
adjective
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having no hair or fur, esp (of a man) having no hair on all or most of the scalp
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lacking natural growth or covering
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plain or blunt
a bald statement
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bare or simple; unadorned
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Also: baldfaced. (of certain birds and other animals) having white markings on the head and face
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(of a tyre) having a worn tread
Usage
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.
- Used in a sentence: Phillip began to bald early in life so he decided to start shaving his head.
- Used in a sentence: Fanny said a bald lie when asked why she didn’t go to work.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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baldnessnoun
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semibaldnessnoun
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baldishadjective
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half-baldadjective
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semibaldadjective
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baldlyadverb
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semibaldlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of bald
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
Explanation
Use the adjective bald to describe someone who has no hair on his head. If your uncle has a smooth, hairless scalp, he's bald. Some men are bald because they shave their heads, while others have become bald gradually over the years. It's often said that if a man's grandfather was bald, he will also be bald. Certain conditions, illnesses, and even medicines can also make women bald. Another way to use the word is to mean "plain, blunt, or obvious." You might describe, for example, a school's bald request for donations of money and supplies.
Vocabulary lists containing bald
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Internet-famous bald eagle Jackie’s health is improving after a scare over the weekend, the latest twist in a saga that began when the raptor was rescued near Big Bear Lake earlier this month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Nearly a week after being rescued near Big Bear Lake, Jackie — half of a celebrity bald eagle couple — remains in critical condition as veterinarians continue to puzzle over the cause of her maladies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The 52-year-old, who is bald, was in London on a family trip.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Sales for bald caps on TikTok Shop have been up 1,200% during Pitbull’s current U.K. tour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The bighorn sheep that had run past them were milling around on the far side of the bald.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
They might feature the recurring character Meme Man, whose glossy Voldemortian head is balder than bald, or Mr. Orange, a digital illustration of an orange with reptilian limbs and a thousand-yard stare.
From Slate ● May 11, 2018
The effect is to make the question feel balder, and bolder.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 15, 2015
As it is, the play’s conventional structure and predictable confrontations look balder and feel draggier than need be.
From New York Times ● May 1, 2012
"As William grows balder and more nerdy with his old-fashioned spectacles, Harry gets more gorgeous."
From Time ● Apr. 22, 2011
He inclined his head, balder than she remembered.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
In short, it was one of the baldest displays of legal chutzpah in the history of our nation.
From Slate ● Jan. 27, 2020
“We're thrilled about our deal with Lionsgate, because we get to hang out with the tallest, best-smelling and baldest man in all of Hollywood.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2019
The entire idea of a Lego-based movie looked like the baldest, most mercenary toy-commercial setup for a film that product placement gurus could possibly imagine.
From The Verge ● Feb. 7, 2019
Or as Radcliffe College board chairwoman Helen Gilbert complained about the long-running negotiations with Harvard, “In the baldest terms, Harvard appears to want to stay ahead of Yale and Princeton and merely absorb Radcliffe.”
From Washington Post ● Oct. 14, 2016
Lou Epstein, the oldest, shortest, and baldest of the three Epstein brothers, barely looked up from the cash register when Alfred entered the store.
From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
