nuanced

American  

[noo-ahnst, nyoo-, noo-ahnst, nyoo-] / ˈnu ɑnst, ˈnyu-, nuˈɑnst, nyu- /

adjective

1. expressing or involving subtle distinctions: Life is wonderfully nuanced, textured, complicated, beautiful, and rich.

   Their opinions are always nuanced and informing.

   Life is wonderfully nuanced, textured, complicated, beautiful, and rich.

2. characterized by slight difference or variation in color, tone, flavor, etc..

   Dawn and dusk imposed softer, darker shades of nuanced, shadowed light.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of nuance.

Other Word Forms

• unnuanced adjective

Etymology

Origin of nuanced

nuanc(e) ( def. ) + -ed ³ ( def. )

Example Sentences

“I want really nuanced, layered characters,” she told The Times in January.

From Los Angeles Times

Now, a decade and a half later, it’s kind of astonishing to see how much more nuanced things have become — blends that actually account for texture, flavor, and how you’ll use them.

From Salon

Then again, we might be in the midst of an evolution, with more nuanced value- and growth-indexing strategies better positioned to reward investors.

From MarketWatch

It is an unusually nuanced take on a subject that too often generates reflexive fulminating or fawning, and a truly auspicious start to the New Museum’s new chapter.

From The Wall Street Journal

She started off strong, rich and nuanced in Dejanira’s bleak lament about her husband’s long absence and her beatific vision of their future together after death.

From The Wall Street Journal