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.

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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

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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

• nudely
  adverb
• nudeness
  noun
• 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

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

Who knows what prompted Camille Claudel, at 20, to take a blade to the clay model of her sculpture of a headless crouching nude, tilting to one side and balanced precariously on rough feet?

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2024

It was used to prosecute not just abortion provision, but people who sold "obscene" books and materials, including literary works like "Ulysses" by James Joyce and art like nude paintings of the goddess Venus.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2024

Julia Roberts has said she has made the choice not to do nude scenes throughout her 35-year film career.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2024

Gliding nearly nude beneath the trees, cultivating their temporary gardens, the Yanomamo are often said to be windows into the past, living much the same lives as their great-great-great- grandparents.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• naked