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; 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

“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

Husain, who died in 2011 aged 95, often faced backlash for the depictions of nude Hindu gods in his paintings.

From BBC • Jan. 22, 2025

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 what is known as a kouros—a sculpture of a nude male youth standing with his left leg forward and his arms at his sides.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• naked