nuance

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nuance ON THESAURUS.COM

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nuance ON THESAURUS.COM

1. subtlety, nicety, hint, refinement.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for nuances

hint, subtlety, gradation, nicety, refinement, distinction, implication, degree, shade, trace, dash, suspicion, suggestion, touch, shadow, tinge

Examples from the Web for nuances

Contemporary Examples of nuances

But even if he didn't understand all of the nuances of Lou's disability, he was convinced it was serious.
The Stacks: The Day Lou Gehrig Delivered Baseball’s Gettysburg Address
Ray Robinson
July 4, 2014
His only offense was a moral one, though none of his critics could possibly know the terms and nuances of his marriage.
Too Late To 'Pologize For NSA Revenge Porn Leak
Lizzie Crocker
June 28, 2014
The pair traveled to Penn Hills at least a dozen times over three months, teasing out the nuances and former life of the property.
A Most Illegal Adventure with New York City’s Wildest Underground Event Planners
Nina Strochlic
December 16, 2013
How many of the decision makers in Israel can confidently respond to the nuances of API?
The Arab Peace Initiative Makes Its Way to the Knesset
Tal Harris
May 20, 2013
It is part of a continuing quest to sort through the nuances and reach a modern conclusion in these turbulent times.
The New Era of Evolution Helps Pols Switch Stance on Issues from Gay Marriage to Immigration
Howard Kurtz
April 3, 2013

Historical Examples of nuances

He was a stickler for the nuances of behaviour, especially in women.
Painted Veils
James Huneker
It is short, pregnant—what is to follow is incorporated in its nuances.
Iconoclasts
James Huneker
It has been well said that words are inadequate to describe the nuances of taste.
A History of Chinese Literature
Herbert A. Giles
"The correspondences of nuances," he sings to his neighbour, who happens to be Whistler.
Unicorns
James Huneker
In spite of the shock, the newness, Dr. Stern was sensitive to nuances.
West Of The Sun
Edgar Pangborn

British Dictionary definitions for nuances

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 nuances

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."

nuances in Culture

nuance

[(nooh-ahns)]

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