nuance

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

noun

, plural nu·anc·es [noo, -ahn-siz, nyoo, -, noo-, ahn, -siz, nyoo-, n, y, -, ahns].

1. a subtle difference or distinction in expression, meaning, response, etc.

   Synonyms: refinement, nicety, subtlety, shading, shade

2. a very slight difference or variation in color or tone.

verb (used with object)

, nu·anced, nu·anc·ing.

1. to give nuance to; to color:

   She carefully nuanced her words, to put a positive spin on the situation.

nuance

/ njuːˈɑːns; ˈnjuːɑːns /

noun

1. a subtle difference in colour, meaning, tone, etc; a shade or graduation

verb

1. to give subtle differences to

   carefully nuanced words

nuance

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

Other Words From

• nu·anced adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nuance¹

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; -ance

Word History and Origins

Origin of nuance¹

C18: from French, from nuer to show light and shade, ultimately from Latin nūbēs a cloud

Example Sentences

Each instance has its nuances, but they collectively raise the question: What are teachers’ rights to express their political views?

From Los Angeles Times

Moving forward, Hewlett hopes that this research offers a more nuanced understanding of the nature of social learning in humans and how cultures in general are conserved and change over time.

From Science Daily

Some might welcome the film’s nuanced look at the responsibilities of the media, while others may find it difficult to separate its historical focus from the emotionally charged realities of the current moment.

From Los Angeles Times

This type of leaner LLM could be stored and accessed locally on a device like a phone or laptop and could provide performance nearly as accurate and nuanced as an uncompressed version.

From Science Daily

At the same time, the data has its nuances: “That period features very low income levels. It is questionable whether this can be generalized to the current period.”

From Salon

Related Words

• distinction
• gradation
• hint
• implication
• nicety
• refinement
• subtlety