naked

American  

[ney-kid] / ˈneɪ kɪd /

adjective

1. being without clothing or covering; nude.

   naked children swimming in the lake.

   Synonyms:

   undressed, uncovered

2. without adequate clothing.

   a naked little beggar.

3. bare of any covering, overlying matter, vegetation, foliage, or the like.

   naked fields.

4. bare, stripped, or destitute (usually followed byof ).

   The trees were suddenly naked of leaves.

   Synonyms:

   denuded

5. without the customary covering, container, or protection.

   a naked sword;

   a naked flame.

   Synonyms:

   exposed

6. without carpets, hangings, or furnishings, as rooms or walls.

7. (of the eye, sight, etc.) unassisted by a microscope, telescope, or other instrument.

   visible to the naked eye.

8. defenseless; unprotected; exposed.

   naked to invaders.

   Synonyms:

   open, unarmed

9. plain; simple; unadorned.

   the naked realities of the matter.

10. not accompanied or supplemented by anything else.

    a naked outline of the facts.

11. exposed to view or plainly revealed.

    the naked threat in the letter;

    a naked vein of coal.

    Synonyms:

    patent, obvious, manifest, evident, blatant

12. plain-spoken; blunt.

    the naked truth.

    Synonyms:

    unvarnished, stark, simple

13. Law. unsupported, as by authority or consideration.

    a naked promise.

14. Botany.

    1. (of seeds) not enclosed in an ovary.

    2. (of flowers) without a calyx or perianth.

    3. (of stalks, branches, etc.) without leaves.

    4. (of stalks, leaves, etc.) without hairs or pubescence.

15. Zoology. having no covering of hair, feathers, shell, etc.

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naked British  

/ ˈneɪkɪd /

adjective

1. having the body completely unclothed; undressed Compare bare 1

2. having no covering; bare; exposed

   a naked flame

3. with no qualification or concealment; stark; plain

   the naked facts

4. unaided by any optical instrument, such as a telescope or microscope (esp in the phrase the naked eye )

5. with no defence, protection, or shield

6. (usually foll by of) stripped or destitute

   naked of weapons

7. (of the seeds of gymnosperms) not enclosed in a pericarp

8. (of flowers) lacking a perianth

9. (of stems) lacking leaves and other appendages

10. (of animals) lacking hair, feathers, scales, etc

11. law

    1. unsupported by authority or financial or other consideration

       a naked contract

    2. lacking some essential condition to render valid; incomplete

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Other Word Forms

• half-naked
  adjective
• nakedly
  adverb
• nakedness
  noun
• seminaked
  adjective
• unnaked
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of naked

before 900; Middle English naked ( e ), Old English nacod; cognate with Dutch naakt, German nackt, Gothic naqths; akin to Old Norse nakinn, Latin nūdus, Greek gymnós, Sanskrit nagnás

Explanation

If you have no clothes on, you're naked. Likewise, things that are uncovered or unhidden, like a bare tree, are also naked. Naked people are nude, and naked animals are missing their hair or fur. When piles of snow melt in the spring, they leave naked fields and sidewalks. If your white walls don't have any pictures or mirrors hanging on them, they'll look naked too. If you don't try to hide your sorrow, you'll show naked emotio. And, finally, to see without the aid of glasses or a microscope is called using "the naked eye."

Example Sentences

“I grew up without a father in an all-female household and I felt very naked as a child in terms of needing to be protected by someone who was dominant and aggressive,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

The hedge-born man conceived in a hookup under the hawthorn bushes in 17th-century Britain was the direct linguistic ancestor of today’s naked short-sellers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

Williams beat John Higgins 18-16 in the final, adding to previous titles in 2000 and 2003, and appeared naked, save for a towel, at his post-match press conference.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Children and infants, some of them nearly naked, wandered into the streets.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026

The men look up from their work to watch us—three English boys in dirty shirts and worn-out slops and one naked Indian princess, tumbling like cartwheels all over the fort.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

Related Words

• bare
• defenseless
• exposed
• helpless
• nude