bald

[ bawld ]

/ bɔld /

adjective

having little or no hair on the scalp: a bald head; a bald person.

destitute of some natural growth or covering: a bald mountain.

lacking detail; bare; plain; unadorned: a bald prose style.

open; undisguised: a bald lie.

Zoology. having white on the head: the bald eagle.

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

verb (used without object)

to become bald.

noun

(often initial capital letter) Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. a treeless mountaintop or area near the top: often used as part of a proper name.

Nearby words

balche, balcon, balconet, balconette, balcony, bald, bald cypress, bald eagle, bald-faced, bald-faced hornet, baldachin

Origin of bald

1250–1300; Middle English ball(e)d, equivalent to ball white spot (compare Welsh bal, Greek phaliós having a white spot) + -ed -ed³

SYNONYMS FOR bald

4 bare, barefaced, flagrant, patent, utter, out-and-out, downright, flat-out.

Related forms

bald·ish, adjectivebald·ly, adverbbald·ness, nounhalf-bald, adjective

sem·i·bald, adjectivesem·i·bald·ly, adverbsem·i·bald·ness, noun

Can be confusedbald balled bawled

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for baldly

They did not baldly call for a coup, but they did exhort soldiers to “take a stand.”
Thailand’s Prime Minister Toppled by ‘The Iron Triangle’|Lennox Samuels|May 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So baldly clear is this realization that I might as well be acknowledging that I will never have eight legs and spin a web.
A New E-Book from Jonathan Rauch: 'Denial'|David Frum|May 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Chavez could be declared "temporarily absent," a narrowly legal if baldly political maneuver to forestall succession.
If Hugo Chavez Succumbs, a Dangerous Limbo for Venezuela|Mac Margolis|January 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Brzezinski drafted a letter for Carter to send to the shah that baldly enjoined him to use force against the demonstrators.
How the U.S. Will Lose Egypt|Geoffrey Wawro|January 31, 2011|DAILY BEAST

In 2002, Americans rejected this baldly isolationist statement by well over two to one.
The New McCarthyism|Peter Beinart|September 12, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The “Royal March” of Italy was played, first baldly, then with manifold clinging and wreathing variations.
Aurora the Magnificent|Gertrude Hall
The problem of the North was, to put it baldly, one of invasion and conquest.
History of the United States|Charles A. Beard and Mary R. Beard
“You look clean tuckered out,” he announced, baldly; then he laid a coaxing hand on her arm.
Seven Miles to Arden|Ruth Sawyer
Such, crudely and baldly, is the famous nebular hypothesis of Laplace.
Pioneers of Science|Oliver Lodge
He was too amazed to do anything but answer her literally and baldly.
Rough-Hewn|Dorothy Canfield

British Dictionary definitions for baldly

bald

/ (bɔːld) /

adjective

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

lacking natural growth or covering

plain or blunta bald statement

bare or simple; unadorned

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

(of a tyre) having a worn tread

Derived Formsbaldish, adjectivebaldly, adverbbaldness, noun

Word Origin for bald

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

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

Word Origin and History for baldly

bald

adj.

c.1300, ballede, probably, with Middle English -ede adjectival suffix + Celtic bal "white patch, blaze" especially on the head of a horse or other animal (from PIE root *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, gleam;" see bleach (v.)). Cf., from the same root, Sanskrit bhalam "brightness, forehead," Greek phalos "white," Latin fulcia "coot" (so called for the white patch on its head), Albanian bale "forehead." But connection with ball (n.1), on notion of "smooth, round" also has been suggested. Bald eagle first attested 1680s; so called for its white head.

bald

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verb (used without object)

noun

Nearby words

Origin of bald

Examples from the Web for baldly

British Dictionary definitions for.css-ylq2vz{color:#1a1a1a;} baldly

bald

adjective

Word Origin for bald

Word Origin and History for baldly

bald

Medicine definitions for baldly

bald

adj.

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for baldly