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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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

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.
Recent Examples of bald As a result of the attacks, several bald men were left bloodied and injured, the outlets reported. Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 7 Apr. 2025 Both were paired with a blonde bald cut and silver mascara tears streaming down her face. Essence, 6 May 2025 Now Cubs fans will have to reconcile a memory mashup of Caray with current shortstop Swanson in a bald cap singing a slightly different tune. Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2025 Each wore bald caps, which is quite the look for the long-haired May. Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bald
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bald
Adjective
  • At Keep Memory Alive’s The Power of Love Gala in February, the author told PEOPLE that the rest of her children were all buzzing about seeing their sibling bare it all on screen.
    Esther Kang, People.com, 3 June 2025
  • Name: Itea virginica Size: 2-6 feet tall, 4-6 feet wide Zones: 5-9 19 of 20 Winterberry A slow-growing, deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub, winterberry is a show-stopper in winter when female plants produce an abundance of showy berries on their bare branches.
    Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 June 2025
Adjective
  • In addition to experiencing a surge of sensual energy with greater emphasis on life’s simple pleasures, Venus in Taurus has everything to do with feeling grounded and finding stability in both love and finances.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 5 June 2025
  • The way to peace is simple: get Hamas out and get aid in.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • Lionsgate post-Starz spin-off would be the most obvious choice, without the weight of cable networks on both sides and with a host of still-viable Lionsgate franchises including John Wick, The Hunger Games and Saw.
    Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
  • Sending in the National Guard was an obvious military flex, designed to to bait Angelenos while perhaps distracting Americans from Trump’s far greater troubles.
    Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
Adjective
  • The president’s embrace of Moscow and corresponding pivot away from Europe is pushing the continent to become more independent and leaving its people far more exposed.
    DMYTRO KULEBA, Foreign Affairs, 30 May 2025
  • The ensemble featured a strapless, sculpted black corset top with an exposed zipper.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 21 May 2025
Adjective
  • There’s no exact count of how many people fit inside Sahara, but to the naked eye, there appears to be roughly 20,000 people here to see him, with the crowd spilling out of the tent and extending up the adjacent hillside viewing area.
    Katie Bain, Billboard, 28 May 2025
  • As always, readers are encouraged to never look directly at the sun with the naked eye, standard sunglasses, or with binoculars/a telescope, as doing so can permanently damage your vision.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 28 May 2025
Adjective
  • The gravity of the moment was unmistakable — the consequences of a loss, and the eventual magnitude of a win.
    Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2025
  • In a market defined by uncertainty, the bond market’s message is unmistakable: brace for impact.
    Dan Irvine, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
Adjective
  • Its impact on the modern environment is made plain when the geologist protagonist must flee terrible wildfires there.
    Diana Arterian June 5, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025
  • My mom rocked her plain white canvas sneakers through her four years at Michigan State University (that's her in the picture on the day the Olympic torch was run through the MSU campus in 1984).
    Chaunie Brusie, Parents, 2 June 2025
Adjective
  • Ukraine goes into this second round of direct talks bolstered by its apparent destruction of Russian strategic bombers and other crucial air assets.
    Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 2 June 2025
  • The man dropped to the ground and was arrested without any apparent resistance in the video that Osante filmed.
    Colleen Slevin, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Bald.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bald. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.

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