nuance

noun nu·ance \ ˈnü-ˌän(t)s , ˈnyü- , -ˌäⁿs ; nü-ˈän(t)s , nyü- , -ˈäⁿs \

|Updated on: 14 Aug 2018

Examples: nuance in a Sentence

Editor's Note: nuance: So Subtle You Might Miss It

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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nuanced

play \ˈnü-ˌän(t)st, ˈnyü-; nü-ˈän(t)st, nyü-\ adjective

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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

Recent Examples of nuance from the Web

The Americans required a chameleon star, who, like her character, could shed her own skin at will, disappearing into the various nuances and complexities of the role.

— refinery29.com, "This Is Keri Russell's Time To Shine — Welcome To The Russell-ution, Comrades," 13 July 2018
Speaking of Social Security, understanding all the nuances here is anything but simple.

— marianne hayes, Redbook, "How Much Money Do You Really Need to Retire?," 9 July 2018
Their stylists are able to easily pick up on the nuances and tweaks that need to be made to the formulas that someone who works in an office every day might not be able to.

— devon abelman, Allure, "How Instagram Sparked the Indie Hair-Color Brand Revolution," 27 June 2018
But given the president's actions and attitudes towards immigrants so far, Yale-Loehr said the president may ignore that kind of legal nuance and use Tuesday's ruling and justification to go all in on his enforcement wish list.

— alan gomez, USA TODAY, "What Supreme Court ruling on travel ban means for other countries," 26 June 2018
The nuances and ambiguities of Lynch’s statement didn’t stop other websites from publishing clickbait headlines suggesting that the director of Twin Peaks was a MAGA-head.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "Clickbait headlines mistakenly convince Trump that David Lynch loves him.," 26 June 2018
Slate's April Glaser recently wrote an excellent piece examining the nuances and politics at play here, from financial conflicts of interest to worldviews.

— renee diresta, WIRED, "How the Tech Giants Created What Darpa Couldn’t," 29 May 2018
Whether a sign of strength or loss of it, what Dear White People does so well once again this season, is capture the nuance and complexities of black hair in 2018.

— teryn payne, Glamour, "All the Secrets Behind the Hair in 'Dear White People' Season 2," 6 May 2018
But Rob Ford, who studies the politics of immigration at the University of Manchester, says that beyond bureaucratic mistakes, May’s policies have failed to reflect the nuances of British attitudes about immigration.

— sara miller llana, The Christian Science Monitor, "Britain taps the son of a Pakistani bus driver to shape immigration policy," 1 May 2018

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.

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.

Did You Know?

The history of "nuance" starts in Latin with the noun nubes, meaning "cloud." "Nubes" 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.

Origin and Etymology of nuance

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1781

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year