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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective naked differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of naked are bald, bare, barren, and nude. While all these words mean "deprived of naturally or conventionally appropriate covering," 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 would bald be a good substitute for naked?

In some situations, the words bald and naked are roughly equivalent. However, bald implies actual or seeming absence of natural covering and may suggest a conspicuous bareness.

a bald mountain peak

When could bare be used to replace naked?

The meanings of bare and naked largely overlap; however, bare implies the removal of what is additional, superfluous, ornamental, or dispensable.

an apartment with bare walls

When can barren be used instead of naked?

While in some cases nearly identical to naked, barren often suggests aridity or impoverishment or sterility.

barren plains

When might nude be a better fit than naked?

The words nude and naked are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 naked The infected familiar from the original virus strain are now sinewy figures wandering the land, feral and naked, their clothes having disintegrated long ago. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025 Both were found naked and without any identification. Lesley Cosme Torres, People.com, 16 June 2025 Both were naked, and without any identification, Lo Voi said. Colleen Barry, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2025 One daughter, who went to an affluent private school, and one granddaughter who went to a comprehensive school, had been asked by their male classmates to send them naked pictures of themselves. Peter White, Deadline, 11 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for naked
Recent Examples of Synonyms for naked
Adjective
  • Another nude beach, Gunnison Beach in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, ranks No. 3 in the BoatBooker study.
    Gary Stoller, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025
  • The model also went for a peachy blush and kept her lips a simple nude pink.
    Starr Bowenbank, People.com, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • Plums make their presence known along roadsides and in natural areas in spring when fragrant white blooms cover their bare branches.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 27 June 2025
  • It’s been players like Goldschmidt, Trent Grisham and Ben Rice that have offered Judge the bare minimum necessary support to keep them in front of the AL East.
    Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • The simplest ideas in mathematics can also be the most perplexing.
    Leila Sloman, Wired News, 29 June 2025
  • This simple, clear shift in communication started to highlight the reality of who was contributing what.
    Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 28 June 2025
Adjective
  • The west side of your house is more exposed, thus hotter than the east side.
    Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2025
  • Rifkin noticed some exposed brick in the back of the store.
    Robert Sullivan, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
Adjective
  • The story itself is stripped to bone and sinew: a sleepy New England beach town that wants tourist dollars more than truth, an invisible killer in plain water, and three men — one scared sheriff, one cocky scientist, one Ahab of a fisherman — set adrift to settle nature’s score.
    Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 19 June 2025
  • The smug and sanctimonious tenor of their briefing makes that plain.
    Christie D’Zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • While the venue's roof covers the seated areas, the standing areas generally remain uncovered.
    Caché McClay, USA Today, 4 June 2025
  • But the third realm, the uncovered world of technology, is rising.
    Amir Husain, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
Adjective
  • His bald head, white button-down and black dress pants closely resemble the 61-year-old Amazon founder.
    Colson Thayer, People.com, 27 June 2025
  • Cops released images of the suspect, who is bald and wears glasses, in the hopes that the public could help identify him.
    Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • There is no cost to join the group, which is open to the public.
    Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2025
  • The exhibition is open to the public from Thursday through July 9 via online registration.
    Miles Socha, Footwear News, 25 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Naked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/naked. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

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