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

Depth and nuance become a liability, but shouldn’t.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Our observations have allowed for a unique and nuanced view of the comet."

From Science Daily

Payroll experts say withholding changes are not so simple, especially with the new law’s nuances.

From MarketWatch

Her fresh, engaging translation of the Perpetua dossier captures the nuances of the Latin with remarkable skill.

From The Wall Street Journal

John McPhee, a punctilious user of reference material, has written that he mostly looks up words he already knows to better apprehend their nuances.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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