naked

American  

[ney-kid] / ˈneɪ kɪd /

adjective

1. being without clothing or covering; nude.

   naked children swimming in the lake.

   Synonyms:

   undressed, uncovered

2. without adequate clothing.

   a naked little beggar.

3. bare of any covering, overlying matter, vegetation, foliage, or the like.

   naked fields.

4. bare, stripped, or destitute (usually followed byof ).

   The trees were suddenly naked of leaves.

   Synonyms:

   denuded

5. without the customary covering, container, or protection.

   a naked sword;

   a naked flame.

   Synonyms:

   exposed

6. without carpets, hangings, or furnishings, as rooms or walls.

7. (of the eye, sight, etc.) unassisted by a microscope, telescope, or other instrument.

   visible to the naked eye.

8. defenseless; unprotected; exposed.

   naked to invaders.

   Synonyms:

   open, unarmed

9. plain; simple; unadorned.

   the naked realities of the matter.

10. not accompanied or supplemented by anything else.

    a naked outline of the facts.

11. exposed to view or plainly revealed.

    the naked threat in the letter;

    a naked vein of coal.

    Synonyms:

    patent, obvious, manifest, evident, blatant

12. plain-spoken; blunt.

    the naked truth.

    Synonyms:

    unvarnished, stark, simple

13. Law. unsupported, as by authority or consideration.

    a naked promise.

14. Botany.

    1. (of seeds) not enclosed in an ovary.

    2. (of flowers) without a calyx or perianth.

    3. (of stalks, branches, etc.) without leaves.

    4. (of stalks, leaves, etc.) without hairs or pubescence.

15. Zoology. having no covering of hair, feathers, shell, etc.

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naked British  

/ ˈneɪkɪd /

adjective

1. having the body completely unclothed; undressed Compare bare 1

2. having no covering; bare; exposed

   a naked flame

3. with no qualification or concealment; stark; plain

   the naked facts

4. unaided by any optical instrument, such as a telescope or microscope (esp in the phrase the naked eye )

5. with no defence, protection, or shield

6. (usually foll by of) stripped or destitute

   naked of weapons

7. (of the seeds of gymnosperms) not enclosed in a pericarp

8. (of flowers) lacking a perianth

9. (of stems) lacking leaves and other appendages

10. (of animals) lacking hair, feathers, scales, etc

11. law

    1. unsupported by authority or financial or other consideration

       a naked contract

    2. lacking some essential condition to render valid; incomplete

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Other Word Forms

• half-naked adjective
• nakedly adverb
• nakedness noun
• seminaked adjective
• unnaked adjective

Etymology

Origin of naked

before 900; Middle English naked ( e ), Old English nacod; cognate with Dutch naakt, German nackt, Gothic naqths; akin to Old Norse nakinn, Latin nūdus, Greek gymnós, Sanskrit nagnás

Explanation

If you have no clothes on, you're naked. Likewise, things that are uncovered or unhidden, like a bare tree, are also naked. Naked people are nude, and naked animals are missing their hair or fur. When piles of snow melt in the spring, they leave naked fields and sidewalks. If your white walls don't have any pictures or mirrors hanging on them, they'll look naked too. If you don't try to hide your sorrow, you'll show naked emotio. And, finally, to see without the aid of glasses or a microscope is called using "the naked eye."

Example Sentences

“I grew up without a father in an all-female household and I felt very naked as a child in terms of needing to be protected by someone who was dominant and aggressive,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

To the naked eye, they may have looked similar.

From Salon • Apr. 17, 2026

This powerful technique allowed them to detect tiny structures that cannot be seen with the naked eye.

From Science Daily • Apr. 7, 2026

Grimes said it was almost impossible to see a micrometeorite with the naked eye.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

I could see distinctly the limbs of these vermin with my naked eye, much better than those of a European louse through a microscope, and their snouts with which they rooted like swine.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• bare
• defenseless
• exposed
• helpless
• nude