nuanced
Americanadjective
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expressing or involving subtle distinctions: Life is wonderfully nuanced, textured, complicated, beautiful, and rich.
Their opinions are always nuanced and informing.
Life is wonderfully nuanced, textured, complicated, beautiful, and rich.
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characterized by slight difference or variation in color, tone, flavor, etc..
Dawn and dusk imposed softer, darker shades of nuanced, shadowed light.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of nuanced
Explanation
Something that's nuanced has subtle details that make it complex and interesting. A nuanced conversation isn't just small talk — it really makes you think. Nuanced is one of those words that attempts to capture an elusive quality. When a book or movie is described as nuanced, it implies a work that's meaningful and complicated, with relationships between characters that seem as multi-layered and subtle as real life. Nuance means "slight degree of difference," from the French nuer, "to shade," and a Latin root that means "a cloud or vapor."
Vocabulary lists containing nuanced
Their Eyes Were Watching God
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Love Radio
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Gather
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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.
“We Two,” with its close vocal harmonies; the texturally varied “Ripples in a Pond”; and “Never Know,” a bouncy, unabashed pop anthem, are among the most thoughtful, nuanced offerings here.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026
What transpired down under was a more nuanced set of conditions, far more akin to what we would expect in the UK.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
Ancient DNA research already suggested a much more nuanced picture.
From Science Daily • May 30, 2026
They should not, however, be expected to carry over this nuanced perception of racism in other settings.
From Slate • May 28, 2026
More nuanced and more revealing is Wills’s other remark—that “Everett’s classicism was as much the forerunner of Lincoln’s talk as its foil or contrast.”
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
