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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 Standing a good half-foot taller than his peers was a man with a shiny, white, bald head: Samuele Landi. Atossa Araxia Abrahamian Atossa Araxia Abrahamian, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025 His most menacing appearance happens at 1:54, where he's shown looking rageful, with cuts over his signature bald head. Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025 Called Wallace & Gromit, the former is a bald British mad inventor with a love of cheese whilst the latter is an intelligent but silent dog. Caroline Reid, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025 Wahlberg first shared footage of his bald look in a July 3, 2024, Instagram post. Angel Saunders, People.com, 4 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for bald 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bald
Adjective
  • Her navy silk wool double-breasted coat was nipped at the waist and worn with bare legs and stiletto heels.
    Leah Dolan, CNN, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Guests are asked to dangle toys from wands rather than handle cats with their bare hands, and keep from waking any felines sleeping in their circular nooks.
    Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The way this works is relatively simple in concept; TVs and computer software have done it for decades.
    Michael Justin Allen Sexton, PCMAG, 24 Jan. 2025
  • As long as a biopsy is done and it’s recognized early, there’s a very high chance of cure with very simple and minimally invasive procedures.
    Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • But just as the rise of AI will be obvious in the ads, the challenges facing the entertainment business will also be reflected.
    Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Jan. 2025
  • Subway crime is an obsession of New Yorkers, for obvious reasons.
    Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Zuckerberg has just recently emerged from his own masculinist makeover, which turned him from a pale coder to a buff and bronzed bro, and his openly suggestive glance at Sanchez’s exposed chest seemed like an appropriate capstone to Trump’s Inaugural Address.
    Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Other common denominators: stucco roofs and no exposed wood.
    Josh Peter, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Agents also used lasers, which are invisible to the naked eye.
    Brooke Taylor, Fox News, 31 Jan. 2025
  • What makes viewing the northern lights so great (aside from the breathtaking display of colors that dance across the night sky) is that they can be spotted with the naked eye, so no advanced technology is needed when watching.
    Skyler Caruso, People.com, 31 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The low-key pair stepped out in casual duds to grab lunch, with the Twilight star sporting a messy topknot in an unmistakable platinum shade.
    Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 21 Jan. 2025
  • An older technique that is once again covering masks across the NHL this season is painting on top of chrome to give the mask an unmistakable shine.
    Jesse Granger, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • While most warming devices come only in plain blacks and grays, these go out of their way to look pleasant in four colorful designs.
    Clint Davis, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Jan. 2025
  • The three — Trump, Newsom and the first lady, who, clad in a khaki jacket, plain dark cap and aviator-style sunglasses, did not speak — walked toward the helicopter.
    Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Orange County Register, 24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • But going against Boozer, the gulf in their skill sets was apparent.
    Jared Weiss, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
  • And the cracks in the Russian economy are becoming increasingly apparent.
    Alexandra Prokopenko, Foreign Affairs, 21 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near bald

Cite this Entry

“Bald.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bald. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

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