nuance
Americannoun
-
nuances
plural
-
a subtle difference or distinction in expression, meaning, response, etc.
- Synonyms:
- refinement, nicety, subtlety, shading, shade
-
a very slight difference or variation in color or tone.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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; see -ance
Explanation
Use nuance to refer to a very small difference in color, meaning, or feeling. What makes singers brilliant is not how loud they can sing a note, but how many nuances they can evoke through their approach. Pronounced "NOO-ahns," this noun was borrowed from French in the 18th century and derives ultimately from Latin nūbēs "a cloud." Think of clouds––subtle gradations in color to understand this word. When you say a work of art was nuanced, it means there was a lot to it, but incorporated subtly.
Vocabulary lists containing nuance
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Argumentative Writing, List 1
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Language and Grammar - Introductory
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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:
She thinks ideas about dividing up the autistic spectrum lack nuance, especially around mental health.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The research does, however, add some nuance to the picture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
On a recent episode of What Next, host Mary Harris spoke to Mockler about the role of nuance in viral debate videos and what it would take for Democrats to win the zoomers.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
Turkey's relationship with Israel is also not without nuance.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
That’s because an expert whose argument reeks of restraint or nuance often doesn’t get much attention.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
During his own college career, which he spent mostly holding a clipboard, Woodin earned a Ph.D. in the subtle nuances of the quarterback position.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
It’s going to take me years to become fluent in all the nuances of the sport.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
Autistic people of all genders often struggle with nuances of social communication like decoding nonverbal cues, identifying shifts in tone or asking reciprocal questions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
One of the impacts of this is that small nuances of driving can have a disproportionately large impact on energy availability.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
She thinks that what matters with boys is what you say; she’s never learned the intricacies, the nuances of male silence.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Such is the beauty of Mungiu’s observational, deceptively nuanced writing.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
Beyond that, the decision becomes more nuanced, according to Tang.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Awards voters typically don’t appreciate nuanced acting, too often equating “best” with “most.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
He defended the Smithsonian’s scholarly integrity and said he will continue to “protect the importance of doing nuanced, complicated history.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
He crouched down at the cut ends and peered at the annual growth rings, trying to get a nuanced read on how tight and regular the grain within was likely to be.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Instead, “Concentrate” shines when Taylor focuses on her archive and relates it to her own embodied experiences, nuancing the participants’ identities and humanities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2022
If you want to stay with this guy, you’re probably going to need to work on broadening and nuancing your framing.
From Slate ● Dec. 4, 2019
He conceded that he had done “a poor job of nuancing what I was trying to get at.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 16, 2017
There will remain debates about the details of implementation and the nuancing and emphasis and the language and so on.
From Forbes ● Aug. 20, 2014
Another instance of the sacrifice of highly useful forms to this impatience of nuancing is the group whence, whither, hence, hither, thence, thither.
From Language An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Edward Sapir
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.
