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; 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.

Example Sentences

The relentless, sped-up pace turns Orwell’s narrative into a noisy good-vs.-evil story with zero nuance, as if the whole point was to get to someone shouting at Napoleon: “Your whole life is a lie!”

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

There’s little nuance and shade in his arrangements, and despite the presence of more than a dozen highly skilled musicians, you don’t remember a single part from any of them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

"For writers, this nuance matters: the language we choose shapes how readers understand AI systems, their capabilities and the humans responsible for them," Mackiewicz said.

From Science Daily • Apr. 19, 2026

"If you're organised, we really need project managers. If you're good at understanding geopolitical nuance, we need space lawyers. If you're good with finance and numbers, we need economists."

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

Mine was the humiliated consciousness, ashamed of its every face, its every nuance.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

Related Words

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