Adjacent Words

nuance definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude; "without understanding the finer nuances you can't enjoy the humor"; "don't argue about shades of meaning" [syn: nuance, nicety, shade, subtlety, refinement]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: French, from Middle French, shade of color, from nuer to make shades of color, from nue cloud, from Latin nubes; perhaps akin to Welsh nudd mist Date: 1781 1. a subtle distinction or variation 2. a subtle quality ; nicety 3. sensibility to, awareness of, or ability to express delicate shadings (as of meaning, feeling, or value) • nuanced adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, feeling, colour, etc. --v.tr. give a nuance or nuances to. Etymology: F f. nuer to shade, ult. f. L nubes cloud

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Nuance Nu`ance", n. [F.] A shade of difference; a delicate gradation.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(nuances) A nuance is a small difference in sound, feeling, appearance, or meaning. We can use our eyes and facial expressions to communicate virtually every subtle nuance of emotion there is. N-VAR

Moby Thesaurus

allegory, allusion, amount, arcane meaning, assumption, caliber, coloration, compass, connotation, contradistinction, cut, dash, degree, delicacy, delicate distinction, demarcation, differentia, differential, differentiation, distinction, distinctiveness, distinguishment, division, extent, fine point, grade, hairline, hairsplitting, height, hint, implication, implied meaning, import, inference, innuendo, interval, intimation, ironic suggestion, leap, level, margin, mark, meaning, measure, metaphorical sense, microscopic distinction, narrow margin, nice distinction, nicety, notch, occult meaning, overtone, particle of difference, pas, peg, period, pitch, plane, plateau, point, point of difference, presumption, presupposition, proportion, range, ratio, reach, refinement, remove, round, rung, scale, scope, segregation, separation, shade, shade of difference, shadow, soupcon, space, stair, standard, step, stint, subsense, subsidiary sense, subtle distinction, subtlety, suggestion, supposition, suspicion, symbolism, tinge, touch, tread, trichoschistism, undercurrent, undermeaning, undertone, wide margin