nuance
[ noo-ahns, nyoo-, noo-ahns, nyoo-; French ny-ahns ]
/ ˈnu ɑns, ˈnyu-, nuˈɑns, nyu-; French nüˈɑ̃s /
noun, plural nu·anc·es [noo-ahn-siz, nyoo-, noo-ahn-siz, nyoo-; French ny-ahns] /ˈnu ɑn sɪz, ˈnyu-, nuˈɑn sɪz, nyu-; French nüˈɑ̃s/.
a subtle difference or distinction in expression, meaning, response, etc.
a very slight difference or variation in color or tone.
Origin of nuance
1775–85; < French: shade, hue, equivalent to
nu(er) to shade (literally, to cloud < Vulgar Latin
*nūbāre, derivative of
*nūba, for Latin
nūbēs cloud) +
-ance
-ance
OTHER WORDS FROM nuance
nu·anced, adjective un·nu·anced, adjectiveWords nearby nuance
Example sentences from the Web for nuance
British Dictionary definitions for nuance
nuance
/ (njuːˈɑːns, ˈnjuːɑːns) /
noun
a subtle difference in colour, meaning, tone, etc; a shade or graduation
verb (tr; passive)
to give subtle differences to
carefully nuanced words
Word Origin for nuance
C18: from French, from
nuer to show light and shade, ultimately from Latin
nūbēs a cloud
Cultural definitions for nuance
nuance
[ (nooh-ahns) ]
A fine shade of meaning: “I liked the film, but I know I missed some of its nuances.”