Synonyms of bald

bald

adjective

ˈbȯld 

1

as in bare

lacking a usual or natural covering

trees that are bald in the winter aren't the best for giving a home year-round privacy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bare
• exposed
• naked
• peeled
• uncovered
• open
• stripped
• denuded
• hairless
• shaven
• displayed
• unprotected
• skinned
• revealed
• unclothed
• undressed
• unclad
• furless
• disrobed
• divested

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• covered
• mantled
• overgrown
• hairy
• bearded
• overrun
• overspread

2

as in simple

free from all additions or embellishment

try to avoid the bald statement "You're wrong!" when trying to reason with someone

Synonyms & Similar Words

• simple
• naked
• plain
• bare
• unadorned
• stripped
• clean
• unvarnished
• undecorated
• unembellished
• quiet
• unornamented
• plain-vanilla
• restrained
• honest
• homely
• spartan
• unsophisticated
• modest
• bleak
• natural
• denuded
• subdued
• elemental
• earthy
• severe
• conservative
• divested
• stark
• inconspicuous
• forthright
• muted
• toned (down)
• unpretentious
• austere
• antiseptic
• minimalist
• unobtrusive
• sober
• understated
• au naturel

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fancy
• loud
• showy
• decorated
• flamboyant
• gaudy
• adorned
• garish
• embellished
• ornamented
• flashy
• exaggerated
• ostentatious
• tawdry
• glitzy
• swank
• florid
• lurid
• splashy
• overwrought
• glittery
• trimmed
• elaborate
• baroque
• extravagant
• rococo
• dressed
• ornate
• bedizened
• embroidered
• overdecorated
• decked-out
• overdone
• bedecked
• arrayed
• garnished
• appareled

3

as in obvious

not subject to misinterpretation or more than one interpretation

her angry neighbor's bald accusations of stealing his mail offended her

Synonyms & Similar Words

• obvious
• unmistakable
• apparent
• evident
• clear
• straightforward
• distinct
• broad
• visible
• plain
• barefaced
• transparent
• luminous
• crystal clear
• lucid
• unequivocal
• simple
• decided
• ringing
• clear-cut
• unambiguous
• perspicuous
• manifest
• patent
• pellucid
• bald-faced
• palpable
• bright-line
• noticeable
• unambivalent
• nonambiguous
• luculent
• open-and-shut
• intelligible
• comprehensible
• understandable
• explicit
• clean-cut
• recognizable
• tangible
• tidy
• uncomplicated
• appreciable
• sensible
• black-and-white
• undisguised
• knowable
• digestible
• overt
• discernible
• cognizable
• observable
• perceptible
• graspable
• self-explanatory
• trenchant
• self-evident
• legible
• comprehendible
• fathomable
• clean
• readable
• cognoscible
• well-defined
• decipherable
• fair

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dark
• mysterious
• ambiguous
• obscure
• indistinct
• enigmatic
• unclear
• cryptic
• equivocal
• clouded
• unintelligible
• gray
• incomprehensible
• unfathomable
• indecipherable
• unknowable
• imperceptible
• vague
• subtle
• unapparent
• impalpable
• indeterminate
• nonobvious
• slippery
• unclarified
• inappreciable
• sketchy
• insensible
• indefinite
• cloudy
• misty
• obfuscated
• hazy
• nebulous
• imprecise
• noncommittal
• illegible
• murky
• gauzy
• indiscernible
• unreadable
• undecipherable

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective bald differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of bald are bare, barren, naked, and nude. While all these words mean "deprived of naturally or conventionally appropriate covering," bald implies actual or seeming absence of natural covering and may suggest a conspicuous bareness.

a bald mountain peak

When can bare be used instead of bald?

Although the words bare and bald have much in common, bare implies the removal of what is additional, superfluous, ornamental, or dispensable.

an apartment with bare walls

Where would barren be a reasonable alternative to bald?

In some situations, the words barren and bald are roughly equivalent. However, barren often suggests aridity or impoverishment or sterility.

barren plains

When might naked be a better fit than bald?

The words naked and bald are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, naked suggests absence of protective or ornamental covering but may imply a state of nature, of destitution, or of defenselessness.

poor half-naked children

When could nude be used to replace bald?

The synonyms nude and bald are sometimes interchangeable, but nude applies especially to the unclothed human figure.

a nude model posing for art students

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bald

Over the past few years, fans who call themselves The Bald E’s don bald caps to his shows to look more like the hitmaking singer. —Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 15 Jan. 2026

Instead of kings and queens cunningly maneuvering their armies against their enemies, there’s only an ox of a man and a bald little boy, neither of whom exhibits a clearly superior intellect. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Jan. 2026

Wilfried Singo dashed over to the bald man in an orange shirt who was shouting and swearing with excitement on the side of the pitch. —Jay Harris, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026

The live show — featuring a famed blue-skinned, apparently bald and mostly silent trio — will feature classic Blue Man Group routines plus new bits that will be exclusive to the Orlando production. —Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Jan. 2026