naked

adjective

na·​ked ˈnā-kəd 

 especially Southern  ˈne-kəd

1

: not covered by clothing : nude

2

: devoid of customary or natural covering : bare: such as

a

: not enclosed in a scabbard

a naked sword

b

: not provided with a shade

a naked light

c

of a plant or one of its parts : lacking pubescence or enveloping or subtending parts

smooth, naked stems

d

: lacking foliage or vegetation

a naked hillside

e

of an animal or one of its parts : lacking an external covering (as of hair, feathers, or shell)

naked amoebas

3

a

: scantily supplied or furnished

a drab, naked room

b

: lacking embellishment : unadorned

hands naked of rings

naked walls

4

a

: unarmed, defenseless

unwilling to hurt a naked man

b

American football : marked by a lack of protection or coverage by blockers

a naked bootleg by the quarterback

5

: lacking confirmation or support

naked contracts

6

: devoid of concealment or disguise

the naked truth

naked aggression

7

: unaided by any optical device or instrument

the naked eye

8

: not backed by the writer's ownership of the commodity contract or security

selling naked options

nakedly adverb

nakedness noun

Synonyms

• au naturel
• bare
• bottomless
• disrobed
• mother-naked
• nude
• raw
• starkers [chiefly British]
• stripped
• unclad
• unclothed
• undressed

Choose the Right Synonym for naked

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 naked in a Sentence

He was naked from the waist up.

had recurrent nightmares about being naked in public

Recent Examples on the Web

Five people have been arrested after a 2-year-old was found naked and locked in a cage in Kentucky home littered with feces, police say. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2024

Six weeks later, her naked body was found by hunters in Ozark National Forest. —Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024

Buckner was left there, all but naked, to explain the errant seconds that would define his long and otherwise distinguished career. —Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2024

Fortunately, the Halloween comet has potential to be spotted with the naked eye. —Skyler Caruso, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English nacod; akin to Old High German nackot naked, Latin nudus, Greek gymnos

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing naked

• buck naked
• butt naked
• half naked
• mother-naked
• naked as a jaybird
• naked mole rat
• stark naked
• strip naked
• the naked truth
• visible to the naked eye

Kids Definition

naked

adjective

na·​ked ˈnā-kəd 

 especially Southern  ˈnek-əd

1

: having no clothes on

2

a

: lacking a usual or natural covering (as of leaves, plants, or feathers)

naked hills

b

: not enclosed in a case or covering

a naked sword

c

: lacking protective covering parts (as membranes, scales, or shells)

a naked seed

3

: plain entry 2 sense 2, unadorned

the naked truth

4

: not aided by artificial means

seen by the naked eye

nakedly adverb

nakedness noun

Medical Definition

naked

adjective

na·​ked ˈnā-kəd 

1

: lacking some natural external covering (as of hair or myelin)

—used of the animal body or one of its parts

naked nerve endings

viroids are naked: the RNA strand is not encapsulated in a protein coat

—Roger Lewin

2

: unaided by any optical device or instrument

visible to the naked eye

Legal Definition

naked

adjective

na·​ked

1

: characterized by the lack of an interest or of exclusive control, use, or possession

2

: not backed by the option writer's ownership of the commodity, the contract for the commodity, or the security