bald

1 of 2

adjective

1
a
: lacking a natural or usual covering (as of hair, vegetation, or nap)
his bald head
Both men were bald.
a bald hill
bald trees
The rug was bald with wear.
b
: having little or no tread
bald tires
2
: marked with white
a horse with a bald face
3
: lacking adornment or amplification
a bald assertion
4
: undisguised, palpable
bald arrogance
baldish adjective
baldly adverb
baldness noun

bald

2 of 2

verb

balded; balding; balds

transitive verb

: to make bald

intransitive verb

: to become bald
balding with age
Choose the Right Synonym for bald

bare, naked, nude, bald, barren mean deprived of naturally or conventionally appropriate covering.

bare implies the removal of what is additional, superfluous, ornamental, or dispensable.

an apartment with bare walls

naked suggests absence of protective or ornamental covering but may imply a state of nature, of destitution, or of defenselessness.

poor half-naked children

nude applies especially to the unclothed human figure.

a nude model posing for art students

bald implies actual or seeming absence of natural covering and may suggest a conspicuous bareness.

a bald mountain peak

barren often suggests aridity or impoverishment or sterility.

barren plains

Examples of bald in a Sentence

Adjective All of his uncles are completely bald. He had gone completely bald by the age of 30. He covered his bald head with a baseball cap. There's a bald spot on the top of his head. There are bald patches in the cat's fur. an old car with bald tires See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
For the next several months, Helfer was treated with cortisone shots on her bald spots. Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2023 And speaking of Elvis, a bald Austin Butler shows up as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 21 Aug. 2023 No matter how large a post-merger company turned out to be, no matter how bald its post-merger shenanigans were, these economic models could absolve the company of any suspicion of wrongdoing. Cory Doctorow, WIRED, 7 Sep. 2023 Ball cap keeping melanoma off the bald spot, sunglasses at the ready on Croakies around the neck. Hank Stuever, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2023 Cut to a bald, naked Doja in a bathtub overflowing with black water, sweetly rapping about blocking her enemies from her V.I.P. section as two black demon hands reach up out of the water, with one pulling her head back to reveal milky white eyes. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 1 Sep. 2023 Meanwhile, her son was covered in scratches, almost bald and had lost a lot of weight. Wendy Grossman Kantor, Peoplemag, 29 July 2023 There are no puddles of grease, no bald patches of dough, no vexing bubbles or stray scorch marks. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2023 Fill in Bald Spots Autumn is also a great time of year to fix any bare, bald spots in your lawn. Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, 22 Aug. 2023
Verb
Authorities described him as a white male between 5 feet, 7 inches and 5 feet, 9 inches; and weighing between 154 and 160 pounds with balding blond hair, blue eyes and a beard. Amy Simonson, CNN, 21 Sep. 2023 Hair follicles are harvested under local anaesthesia with the assistance of special micro-punches, which are then grafted and transplanted to thinning or balding areas of the scalp. Tenille Clarke, Essence, 12 Sep. 2023 The place simply had no style or character, the furniture looked old and ugly, the alcoves were murky, and the carpets were balding and frayed. Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2023 The Art Loeb Trail traverses a few significant peaks and balds over the 6,000-foot mark, and should not be overlooked. 34 Lewis and Clark, North Dakota Many know the story of Lewis and Clark but are unaware that the tale involved so much more than these two pioneers. Josh Laskin, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2023 To my right, a balding man cog with blue Vans and Ecto-Coolor shades drops to one knee, then slowly collapses to the ground. Jeff Weiss, Spin, 21 Aug. 2023 Now, balding and bearded, Mr. Neza was brokering deals overseas. William K. Rashbaum, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2023 This 2-in-1 combo is specifically recommended for individuals experiencing thinning hair, weak hair, or hair loss, including balding and receding hairlines. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 14 July 2023 Eilish dressed as a baby with big eyelashes and a pink bonnet, while Rutherford showed off a balding head of gray hair and an old man outfit. Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 17 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bald.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English balled; probably akin to Danish dialect bældet bald, Latin fulica coot, Greek phalios having a white spot, Old English bǣl fire, pyre

Verb

derivative of bald entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1602, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of bald was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near bald

Cite this Entry

“Bald.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bald. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

bald

1 of 2 adjective
1
: lacking a natural or usual covering (as of hair)
2
: plain entry 2 sense 1, unadorned
the bald facts
baldly adverb
baldness noun

bald

2 of 2 verb
: to become bald
his head is balding

Medical Definition

bald

adjective
: lacking all or a significant part of the hair on the head or sometimes on other parts of the body
bald intransitive verb

More from Merriam-Webster on bald

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