nuance

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

noun, plural nu·anc·es

[noo-ahn-siz, nyoo-, noo-ahn-siz, nyoo-; French ny-ahns] /ˈnu ɑn sɪz, ˈnyu-, nuˈɑn sɪz, nyu-; French nüˈɑ̃s/.

a subtle difference or distinction in expression, meaning, response, etc.
a very slight difference or variation in color or tone.

Origin of nuance

1775–85; < French: shade, hue, equivalent to nu(er) to shade (literally, to cloud < Vulgar Latin *nūbāre, derivative of *nūba, for Latin nūbēs cloud) + -ance -ance

Related formsnu·anced, adjectiveun·nu·anced, adjective

Synonyms for nuance

1. subtlety, nicety, hint, refinement.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for nuanced

Contemporary Examples of nuanced

Sophisticated, nuanced, melodious pop music, that sweeps you away.
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore
James Joiner
January 7, 2015
The issue of authenticity in American hip-hop is rich and nuanced.
The Cultural Crimes of Iggy Azalea
Amy Zimmerman
December 29, 2014
Hip-hop and faith have a long and sometimes conflicted history; but it was often presented in nuanced or subdued ways.
Down With the King: Christianity Isn’t Hiding in Rap’s Closet
Stereo Williams
December 28, 2014
The price reflects its rarity as well, but also the finicky, difficult, and nuanced process of making Champagne.
Champagne: You’re Drinking It All Wrong
Kayleigh Kulp
December 20, 2014
The New York kingmaker who died Monday believed voters could actually handle a nuanced argument.
David Garth, the Consultant Who Talked Up to Voters
Jeff Greenfield
December 15, 2014

British Dictionary definitions for nuanced

nuance

noun

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

verb (tr; passive)

to give subtle differences tocarefully nuanced words

Word Origin for nuance

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for nuanced

adj.

1896, past participle adjective from verb nuance (q.v.).

The new co-operative history of English literature which the University of Cambridge is now publishing prints "genre" without italics. And it even permits one contributor--and a contributor who is discussing Shakespeare!--to say that something is delicately "nuanced." Is there now an English verb "to nuance"? It is terrible to think of the bad language the scholars of the venerable English university might have used if "nuanced" had been first discovered in the text of an American author. [Scribner's Magazine," January 1911]

nuance

1886, from nuance (n.). Related: Nuanced.

nuance

1781, from French nuance "slight difference, shade of color" (17c.), from nuer "to shade," from nue "cloud," from Gallo-Romance *nuba, from Latin nubes "a cloud, mist, vapor," from PIE *sneudh- "fog" (cf. Avestan snaoda "clouds," Latin obnubere "to veil," Welsh nudd "fog," Greek nython, in Hesychius "dark, dusky"). According to Klein, a reference to "the different colors of the clouds."

nuanced in Culture

nuance

[(nooh-ahns)]

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