nuance

noun

nu·ance ˈnü-ˌän(t)s

ˈnyü-,

-ˌäⁿs;

nü-ˈän(t)s,

nyü-,

-ˈäⁿs

: 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

: a subtle quality : nicety

… the nuances of an individual's voice …

Michael Swaine

: 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

Did you know?

The history of nuance starts in Latin with the noun nūbēs, meaning "cloud." Nūbēs floated into Middle French as nue, also meaning “cloud,” and nue gave rise to nuer, meaning “to make shades of color.” Nuer in turn produced nuance, which in Middle French meant “shade of color.” English borrowed nuance from French, with the meaning “a subtle distinction or variation,” in the late 18th century. That use persists today. Additionally, nuance is sometimes used in a specific musical sense, designating a subtle, expressive variation in a musical performance (such as in tempo, dynamic intensity, or timbre) that is not indicated in the score.

Did you know?

Nuance: So Subtle You Might Miss It

Although nuance is defined as "a subtle distinction or variation," the adjective subtle is frequently seen modifying the noun:

Ms. Fyfield is remarkably thorough in her psychological profiles, giving subtle nuances to characters who are mere passers-by in this psychodrama.
Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review, 27 Aug. 1989

Still, the beloved diva sustained exquisite control of her vast vocal resources, enriching line after line with gleaming tone and subtle nuance.
Martin Bernheimer, The Financial Times, 15 Nov. 2016

Since the definition of nuance already connotes subtlety—we don't speak of blatant or obvious nuances—some might regard the use of subtle as a modifier here to be redundant. But the fact of its frequent use is an indication that the connotation of subtlety in nuance might itself be too subtle to be picked up by many English speakers.

Example Sentences

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

Recent Examples on the Web This one-of-a-kind weave is like a fingerprint, never identical, which brings a special nuance to the Big Bang Unico Gourmet.

Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2022 The season’s climax is chaotic enough to undo a lot of the effort the creative team put into adding nuance to this world, again in the name of keeping Shantaram from falling entirely into a stale and voyeuristic genre.

Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Oct. 2022 Voters following the debate would strain to find any further nuance on the issue, though.

Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, 10 Oct. 2022 Some officials on Monday sought to add nuance to Biden’s comments, seeking to praise the nation’s progress while acknowledging the ongoing challenges.

Dan Diamond, Anchorage Daily News, 20 Sep. 2022 Ever churning, ever changing, ever exploring nuance, the orchestra reveals much about the characters in the opera — their inner essence and, to great extent, their outer aspects.

Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2022 Around the Table - Getting the most out of younger employees requires nuance.

Paolo Confino, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2022 Now, Musk is looking to automate much of the Trust and Safety team’s work to police content - eliminating some of the nuance from complicated decisions for a cheaper approach.

Cat Zakrzewski, Faiz Siddiqui, Joseph Menn, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Nov. 2022 Otherwise these professionals may miss the nuance necessary to catch misinformation.

Jule Pattison, Hartford Courant, 21 Nov. 2022 See More

These 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.

Word History

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

First Known Use

1781, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of nuance was in 1781

See more words from the same year