Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A subtle or slight degree of difference, as in meaning, feeling, or tone; a gradation.
- n. Expression or appreciation of subtle shades of meaning, feeling, or tone: a rich artistic performance, full of nuance.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Any one of the different gradations by which a color passes from its lightest to its darkest shade; a shade of difference or variation in a color.
- n. A delicate degree of difference in anything, as perceived by any of the senses or by the intellect: as, nuances of sound or of expression.
- n. In music:
- n. A shading or coloring of a phrase or passage by variations either of tempo or of force. Such effects are often indicated by various arbitrary marks or by Italian or other terms, called
marks of expression , but the more delicate are left to the taste and skill of the performer. The treatment of subtle nuances is the test of executive and artistic power. - n. A florid vocal passage; fioritura.
- To shade and give delicate tones of expression to, as a piece of music or a picture.
Wiktionary
- n. A minor distinction.
- n. Subtlety or fine detail.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A shade of difference; a delicate gradation.
- n. A small difference in meaning, significance, or expression.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
Etymologies
- From French nuance meaning "nuance", "shade" or "hue". (Wiktionary)
- French, from Old French, from nuer, to shade, cloud, from nue, cloud, from Vulgar Latin *nūba, from Latin nūbēs. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Bush has shown himself to be aware of the meaning of the word nuance and applies it to diplomatic jargon.”
Simon & Schuster: The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time
“George W. Bush mocked Kerry for finding a "new nuance" each day on Iraq -- drawing out the word "nuance" to emphasize Kerry's French cultural elitism.”
The Huffington Post: Robert Reich: The Wall Street Occupiers and the Democratic Party
“Of course, that kind of nuance is lost on the holy-rolling knuckledraggers of the radical right.”
“So whilst there are differences in nuance, I think overall China doesn't have a great preference one way or the other.”
Voice of America: Asia Reacts to Political Change in Washington
“Would there be a difference in nuance and focus if such a book was written by a male veteran who'd actually fought in a war?”
“Additionally, his very speaking style, with a tendency to dwell on complexity and nuance, is one that authoritarians would find particularly unappealing, in sharp contrast to the more simple, straightforward style of his predecessor.”
“Thune's attempt at nuance is just slightly out of step with the media zeitgeist, where we've seen a bit of a sub-rosa attempt of late to rehabilitate the TARP.”
The Huffington Post: John Thune Begins Potential 2012 Bid By Skirting TARP Vote
“Otherwise, the selective invocation of nuance is just a bait and switch for statist propaganda.”
“There are differences in nuance and in policy stances, but both are committed to deception.”
“As a liberal, someone who is genetically steeped in nuance, do you believe the headline is an accurate reflection of the circumstances?”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘nuance’.
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1100
abound, technology, branch of knowled..., prognosticate, automaton, matron, an older married ..., realm, special field of ..., kingdom, annals, historical records and 981 more...
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GRE 2014
abate, abdicate, abase, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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3/4 year Vocab List
voracious, indiscriminate, eminent, steeped, replete, awe, buffoon, abound, technology, prognosticate, automaton, matron and 96 more...
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3/4 year Vocab List
voracious, indiscriminate, eminent, steeped, replete, awe, buffoon, abound, technology, prognosticate, automaton, matron and 96 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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(1st_wk_150)-Dec_5_2012
voracious, indiscriminate, eminent, steeped, replete, abound, technology, prognosticate, automaton, matron, paradox, realm and 297 more...
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Words build meanings from origins( et...
These come from gamma meditation ,I think.
discursive, exogenous, machinations, purportedly, sumptuous, congruity, cantankerous, incongruous, festoon, hessian, ratiocinative, stratigraphic and 2046 more...
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GRE
predilection, explicit, appeal, supplication, appealing, enchanting, ovation, pertinent, apropos, opportunely, applicable, germane and 381 more...
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Philosophic , etymology
every major discipline has uniquely developed esoteric nomenclature to facilitate interdisciplinary dissemination
quale , qualia, elegy, tacet, lexicon, annunciate, caste, eros, contrive, purlicue, irony, venacular, dilapidate and 567 more...
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N
letters starting with n
nadir, naive, narcissist, nascent, natation, natty, nauseate, nautical, nebulous, necromancy, nefarious, negate and 24 more...
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This Boy's Life list 2
treacly, sepulchral, unutterable, malicious, vigilance, Aryan, lackey, plausible, emaciated, cavernous, perspicacity, scabrous and 13 more...
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PART 2: 100 Word You Should Know To B...
Here are 40 advanced English words which should you be able to use them in a sentence will impress even educated native speakers! Perfect if you want to impress the examiner in examinations like: I...
jubilant, knell, lithe, lurid, maverick, maxim, meticulous, modicum, morose, myriad, nadir, nominal and 28 more...
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GRE
intrepid, accost, reticent, furtive, pretext, gesticulate, cajole, nuance, lackluster, jostle, incipient, inadvertent and 4 more...
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GRE 1100
drudgery, implore, hapless, nuance, wrest, incipient, inadvertent, tremulous, bristle, euphemism, disdain, pugnacious and 346 more...
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Neuro-logical ??
The discovering of neuro and phago-cyte nano-engineered biology...
opsoclonus, opsomania, speciefic, opsonin, reveal, parsec, stereopsis, scarious, ablative absolute, presage, requisitory, nuance and 58 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for nuance.
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