nuance

American  

[noo-ahns, nyoo-, noo-ahns, nyoo-, ny-ahns] / ˈnu ɑns, ˈnyu-, nuˈɑns, nyu-, nüˈɑ̃s /

noun

plural

nuances

1. a subtle difference or distinction in expression, meaning, response, etc.

   Synonyms:

   refinement, nicety, subtlety, shading, shade

2. a very slight difference or variation in color or tone.

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verb (used with object)

nuanced, nuancing

1. to give nuance to; to color.

   She carefully nuanced her words, to put a positive spin on the situation.

nuance British  

/ njuːˈɑːns, ˈnjuːɑːns /

noun

1. a subtle difference in colour, meaning, tone, etc; a shade or graduation

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verb

1. to give subtle differences to

   carefully nuanced words

nuance Cultural  

1. A fine shade of meaning: “I liked the film, but I know I missed some of its nuances.”

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Other Word Forms

• nuanced adjective

Etymology

Origin of nuance

First recorded in 1775–85; from French: “shade, hue,” equivalent to nu(er) “to shade” (literally, “to cloud”), from unattested Vulgar Latin nūbāre, derivative of unattested nūba, for Latin nūbēs “cloud”) + -ance noun suffix; -ance

Example Sentences

Which raises a key nuance in the debate between grass and artificial turf -- typically referred to by players as simply "turf."

From Barron's

“Software has been indiscriminately sold with no consideration for the nuances between companies and stocks,” he writes.

From Barron's

“Software has been indiscriminately sold with no consideration for the nuances between companies and stocks,” he writes.

From Barron's

For Ms. Thompson, a historian at the University of Michigan, the Goetz case is not a nuanced tale of a scared passenger overreacting to a perceived threat.

From The Wall Street Journal

“A lot of those nuances can fall through the cracks, and because of that, it could lead to catastrophic outcomes.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• distinction
• gradation
• hint
• implication
• nicety
• refinement
• subtlety