nuance
[ noo-ahns, nyoo-, noo-ahns, nyoo-; French ny-ahns ]
/ ˈnu ɑns, ˈnyu-, nuˈɑns, nyu-; French nüˈɑ̃s /
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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.
OTHER WORDS FOR nuance
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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
OTHER WORDS FROM nuance
nu·anced, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use nuance in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for nuance
nuance
/ (njuːˈɑːns, ˈnjuːɑːns) /
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
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Cultural definitions for nuance
nuance
[ (nooh-ahns) ]
A fine shade of meaning: “I liked the film, but I know I missed some of its nuances.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.