nuance
noun
nu·ance
| \ ˈnü-ˌän(t)s
, ˈnyü-, -ˌäⁿs; nü-ˈän(t)s, nyü-, -ˈäⁿs\
, ˈnyü-, -ˌäⁿs; nü-ˈän(t)s, nyü-, -ˈäⁿs\
Definition of nuance
1
: a subtle distinction or variation
Nuances of flavor and fragrance cannot be described accurately …— Scott Seegers … these terms have certain nuances of meaning …— Ben F. Nelms
2
: a subtle quality : nicety
… the nuances of an individual's voice …— Michael Swaine
3
: sensibility to, awareness of, or ability to express delicate shadings (as of meaning, feeling, or value)
… a performance of remarkable pliability and nuance.— Irvine Kolodin
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Examples of nuance in a Sentence
Between the lines of lexicographical nuance and quotation, Johnson was paying old debts and seeking out wisdom about himself and his adopted city, as well as compiling perhaps the greatest commonplace book in the history of mankind.
— Andrew O'Hagan, New York Review, 27 Apr. 2006
In every silky statement from General Musharraf about the need for a short—in other words: limited—war, and in every nuance of the Pakistani official posture, I was sure I detected the local version of Schadenfreude.
— Christopher Hitchens, Vanity Fair, January 2002
To La Farge, eccentricity meant convention; a mind really eccentric never betrayed it. True eccentricity was a tone—a shade—a nuance—and the finer the tone, the truer the eccentricity.
— Henry Adams, The Education of Henry Adams, 1907
He listened to the subtle nuances in the song.
a poem of little depth and nuance
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Recent Examples on the Web
The issue is that there is no subtext or undertones, the suggestion of nuance and complexities. — Todd Mccarthy, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Hope Gap': Film Review | TIFF 2019," 7 Sep. 2019 As the cerebral writer who finally finds bodily pleasure with the fiery, unpredictable Vita, Debicki demonstrates a grounded nuance and brings new elements to her range. — Katie Walsh, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Review: ‘Vita and Virginia’ a swooning and subversive portrait of a literary love affair," 5 Sep. 2019 As the cerebral writer who finally finds bodily pleasure with the fiery, unpredictable Vita, Debicki demonstrates a grounded nuance and brings new elements to her range. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, "Review: ‘Vita and Virginia,’ a swooning and subversive portrait of a literary love affair," 28 Aug. 2019 Smooth out the rough edges by being sensitive to nuance and employing diplomacy. — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive.com, "Horoscope for Aug. 22, 2019: Happy birthday Kristen Wiig; Leo, whip up something exciting," 22 Aug. 2019 Here, Gris discusses the trends, nuances and evolution of electronic music culture at Burning Man. — Katie Bain, Billboard, "Art Cars, Plug and Play & Playa Tech: How Electronic Music Culture Is Evolving at Burning Man," 21 Aug. 2019 The New Colossus challenged America’s racist history with nuance and care. — Matthew Gault, Time, "Wolfenstein: Youngblood Review: Grab a Pal and Fight Some Nazis," 12 Aug. 2019 Ms Rosenblum and Mr Muirhead: The new conspiracism obliterates nuance and judgment and replaces it with a distorted unreality in which some things are wholly good and others (say, Hillary Clinton) wholly evil. — N.c., The Economist, "Conspiracy theories are dangerous—here’s how to crush them," 12 Aug. 2019 And leaders are supposed to understand nuance and timing. — Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press, "Stephen Ross wants to keep politics out of sports. Too bad he's a hypocrite," 9 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nuance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for nuance
nuance
noun
English Language Learners Definition of nuance
: a very small difference in color, tone, meaning, etc.
See the full definition for nuance in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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