nude

1 of 2

adjective

ˈnüd How to pronounce nude (audio)
ˈnyüd
nuder; nudest
1
: lacking something essential especially to legal validity
a nude contract
2
a
: devoid of a natural or conventional covering
especially : not covered by clothing or a drape
b(1)
: having a color that matches the wearer's skin tones
nude pantyhose
nude lipstick
(2)
: giving the appearance of nudity
a nude dress
c
: featuring nudes
a nude movie
d
: frequented by naked people
a nude beach
nude adverb
nudely adverb
nudeness noun
nudity
ˈnü-də-tē How to pronounce nude (audio)
ˈnyü-
noun

nude

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a representation of a nude human figure
b
: a nude person
2
: the condition of being nude
in the nude
Choose the Right Synonym for nude

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 nude in a Sentence

Adjective The artists sketched the nude model. Picasso's paintings of nude art models. Noun the nudes of Greek sculpture the artist painted some models in the nude
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
As a tribute to the 1974 Oscars streaker, John Cena walked onstage nude — sort of. Michael Schneider, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 Emma Stone hanging with Florence Pugh, and both laugh at John Cena's nude bit. Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 Five Beverly Hills eighth-graders have been expelled for their involvement in the creation and sharing of fake nude pictures of their classmates. Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 At one terracotta house, nude figures run outside as music plays from the ceramic radio. Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Secretly snapped nude photos of Harry in Vegas almost immediately made their way to the front pages of the U.K. tabloids in 2012. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 The messages include pictures of meals and snacks, nude photos of an unidentified man, suggestive exchanges, and what appear to be pictures of Horner in multiple different outfits, including a jacket and pageboy cap. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2024 Her light green trench coat was tied at the waist over a nude dress. Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 26 Feb. 2024 My dad was always nude, always took showers with him. Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024
Noun
Celebrities Who Have Hosted the Oscars the Most Times Eva Longoria and Florence Pugh talked by the bar, and then Pugh, 28, laughed with Emma Stone during Cena's nude presenting bit. Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 The fake nudes circulated briefly among Beverly Vista students in late February, school officials say. Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 The warm tones of a gently overlined, matte nude played up Gomez's dimensional brunette hue. Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 25 Feb. 2024 Swift’s high-profile romance with Kelce continues to make waves on the internet — in addition to massive fan interest and support, the singer also recently became victim to pornographic AI nudes that mocked her Chiefs fandom. Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 2024 This show highlights his serially numbered nudes, most of which are drawn in crayon on hand-toned paper. Jo Rodgers Jameson Montgomery Roxanne Fequiere Emilia Petrarca Kate Guadagnino Sophie Bew, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024 Some of the bathrooms have dark clawfoot soaking tubs with gold taps and nudes reclining in oil paintings above, while other bedrooms have armchairs upholstered in deep greens and reds. Elizabeth Nicholas, Vogue, 29 Nov. 2023 As for makeup, soft glam reigned supreme (as usual), with glowing skin and nudes spotted on the likes of Dua Lipa and Janelle Monae. Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 5 Feb. 2024 The lip stain comes in 16 colors, including a good range of nudes and bold hues. Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 13 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nude.' 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

Latin nudus naked — more at naked

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1708, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of nude was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near nude

Cite this Entry

“Nude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nude. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nude

1 of 2 adjective
nuder; nudest
: having no clothes on
nudeness noun

nude

2 of 2 noun
1
: a nude human figure especially as shown in art
2
: the condition of being nude
in the nude

More from Merriam-Webster on nude

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!