nuance

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

|Updated on: 17 Jul 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

If there are two distinct processes, further research could illuminate which one is active in relapse, and how to then modify treatment to address that nuance.

— maya miller, Scientific American, "Why It’s So Hard to Junk Bad Decisions—Edging Closer to Understanding “Sunk Cost”," 12 July 2018
And while Iraq and Lebanon are often compared for their ethnic and sectarian power-sharing agreements, these elections also show that ideology is the wrong lens through which to understand political nuance.

— renad mansour, Washington Post, "An emerging populism is sweeping the Middle East," 11 July 2018
For hours, the interviewers grilled him on every automotive nuance.

— jacob sweet, miamiherald, "His dream was to race cars. Now this Miami kid is building them for one of best F1 teams," 10 July 2018
Ant-Man and the Wasp doesn’t have much time for that nuance, though.

— tasha robinson, The Verge, "Ant-Man and the Wasp is a solid improvement on Ant-Man," 6 July 2018
The bag fits right in with my sartorial DNA, speaking to my authentic style of classic and contemporary nuances that feel genuine to me.

— lindsay weinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, "Ferragamo Names Virginia Gardner New Face of Hollywood-Themed Studio Bag," 5 July 2018
Pavard, an only child, grew up learning from his father and watching his teams, absorbing the nuances and developing his own ambitions.

— christopher clarey, New York Times, "Benjamin Pavard, and His World Cup Highlight, Came Out of Nowhere," 4 July 2018
By Courtesy of @YellowstoneNPS Understanding its nuances can help develop Idaho’s significant geothermal resources, some of the best in the United States.

— kevin davenport, idahostatesman, "Yellowstone's magma chamber is more powerful than we knew. Here's why studying it matters.," 3 July 2018
Using this file format, which most higher-end cameras support, gives you more options for correcting color and exposure, and can bring out nuances that aren't visible when shooting in JPEG mode.

— wired staff, WIRED, "How to Take Awesome Photos of Fireworks," 3 July 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