nuance

[noo-ahns, nyoo-, noo-ahns, nyoo-, ny-ahns]

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.

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

/ njuːˈɑːns, ˈnjuːɑːns /

noun

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

verb

1. to give subtle differences to

   carefully nuanced words

nuance

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

Other Word Forms

• nuanced adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nuance¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of nuance¹

C18: from French, from nuer to show light and shade, ultimately from Latin nūbēs a cloud

Example Sentences

She still bristles at his impenitence in poaching her long-ago words and deeds for what she calls his “Little Girl Stories,” but she has a more nuanced view of the complicated man who raised her.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

There was a part of me that felt like there was a lack of nuance in the conversations that were happening in these public forums.

Read more on Salon

But the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce called it a "subtle, nuanced, but nonetheless important signal from the Scottish government".

Read more on BBC

The runaway bestseller was celebrated for normalising mental health conversations and its nuanced take on inner struggles - most notably, the author's personal conflict between depressive thoughts and her appreciation for simple joys.

Read more on BBC

It isn’t exactly nuanced political analysis, but goodness knows, these are not exactly nuanced times.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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