nude

American  

[nood, nyood] / nud, nyud /

adjective

nuder, nudest

1. naked or unclothed, as a person or the body.

   Synonyms:

   exposed, undressed, uncovered

2. without the usual coverings, furnishings, etc.; bare.

   a nude stretch of land laid waste by brush fires.

3. (of a photograph, painting, statue, etc.) being or prominently displaying a representation of the nude human figure.

4. Law. made without a consideration or other legal essential.

   a nude contract.

5. having the color nude.

---

noun

1. a sculpture, painting, etc., of a nude human figure.

2. an unclothed human figure.

3. the condition of being unclothed.

   to sleep in the nude.

4. (no longer in common use; now considered offensive) a light grayish-yellow brown to brownish-pink color.

5. a color that falls within the spectrum of human skin colors.

nude British  

/ njuːd /

adjective

1. completely unclothed; undressed

2. having no covering; bare; exposed

3. law

   1. lacking some essential legal requirement, esp supporting evidence

   2. (of a contract, agreement, etc) made without consideration and void unless under seal

---

noun

1. the state of being naked (esp in the phrase in the nude )

2. a naked figure, esp in painting, sculpture, etc

Sensitive Note

See flesh color.

Pronunciation

See new .

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nudeness
  noun
• nudely
  adverb
• seminude
  adjective
• subnude
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of nude

1525–35; < Latin nūdus; see naked

Explanation

Someone who's nude isn't wearing any clothes. In modern society, we're generally nude in the shower but fully dressed when we go to work. Whether you say you're "in your birthday suit," "au naturel," or "unclothed" — when you're nude, you're naked. You might find the word in the phrase "in the nude," which also simply means nude, or describing a work of art as "a nude," or a painting or sculpture of a nude person. In the 1500s, nude was a legal term meaning "unsupported," from the Latin nudus, "bare." The "naked" definition didn't became popular until the nineteenth century.

Example Sentences

"We also remain committed to making it impossible for children in the UK to take, share or view nude images, and are working at pace to deliver this."

From BBC • May 21, 2026

“I remember once in Paris, he just stepped out for cigarettes, and the next thing I knew, he was arrested by the police for floating nude down the Seine.”

From Salon • Feb. 17, 2026

The previous record for a Michelangelo was a $24.3 million drawing of a nude man that Christie’s sold in 2022.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

The seven of us fall on a spectrum that ranges from Aquaphor to nude Armani lipstick.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2024

Without raising his body, he reached out a nude, inflamed-pink, right arm and flicked his ashes in the general direction of the night table.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

Related Words

• naked