nude

1 of 2

adjective

ˈnüd 

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 

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

Synonyms

Adjective

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

Noun

• altogether
• bareness
• birthday suit
• bottomlessness
• buff
• nakedness
• nudity
• raw

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

That investigation began after Torres told police that a 21-year-old Chicago man continued to extort him — threatening to release nude photos and videos — if Torres failed to meet his financial demands. —Devan Patel, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024

On Monday's episode of the Fox first responder drama, EMT Nancy (Brianna Baker) gets tested for breast cancer after her boss, Tommy (Gina Torres), notices a lump in a nude photo Nancy accidentally sent to the whole firehouse. —Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 5 Nov. 2024

Noun

The look: Small undergarments (or a nude bodysuit), a chef's hat, apron and a spatula. —Chelsea Brasted, Axios, 25 Oct. 2024

Mickalene Thomas gets a whole room for her paintings of Black odalisques, and Derrick Adams gets an entire wall of his male nudes. —Sarah Douglas, ARTnews.com, 16 Oct. 2024

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

Phrases Containing nude

• in the nude

Kids Definition

nude

1 of 2 adjective

ˈn(y)üd 

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