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
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Barely a nub of bald rock and surrounded by far more imposing cliffs, this broad perch is not a difficult climb and makes an exquisite viewing platform of the town and the changing colors of the rocks. Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 18 Oct. 2024 This is the redecorating equivalent of when, in the last episode, Erin cut off a measly 1.5 inches of her hair in solidarity with her mother, who is about to go bald from chemo. Brian Moylan, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2024
Verb
In Oregon, Portland Police Agency spokesperson Mike Benner said the suspect is believed to be a white male 30 to 40 years old with short hair or balding, a thin-to-medium build and thin face. Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 2 Nov. 2024 Authorities described the suspect as a white man, age 30 to 40, who is balding or has very short hair. Claire Rush, Chicago Tribune, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bald 

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 3 Dec. 2024.

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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