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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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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

Examples 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 Each hair strip is matched to the client’s unique hair texture, then the barber applies the hair strips to the client’s bald areas, blending them in with the existing hair. Martine Thompson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024 The bald people get to speak before the people with hair, the Black people get to speak first. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024 Nearly 7 years after rescuers found bald baby Eve in a dumpster, the bear is now a 160-pound healthy animal who has grown back most of her missing fur. Kelli Bender, People.com, 3 Dec. 2024 In the game, Gerald looks almost identical—the big bushy mustache, the bald head—just a little older. Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 20 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bald 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bald
Adjective
  • The ship has seven bars, including my favorite spot, Marina Terrace, and the pool bars of the Beach House and Mistral, where the uniform is swimmers and bare feet.
    Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 22 Dec. 2024
  • Despite a clear business case for social impact, very few corporations have gone beyond trying to get noticed for doing the bare minimum.
    Paul Klein, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Homemade ice cream is a lot simpler to make than most people realize.
    Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 31 Dec. 2024
  • The answer is simple: College football needs a new calendar to make a great game better and save it from itself.
    Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Even now, the demand for change-resilient experts with transferable skills is already obvious across multiple industries, especially in tech and IT.
    Hilary Tetenbaum, The Arizona Republic, 18 Dec. 2024
  • One of the additions should be quite obvious to anybody following the Yankees' offseason closely.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Retaining S-400s in Syria no longer serves Russia’s strategic interests since the systems became more exposed following the takeover of the country, including Latakia, by anti-Assad armed groups.
    Paul Iddon, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
  • As water levels recede, the exposed lake bed is dry and dusty, and frequently emits a hold-your-nose rotten-egg stench, the result of natural processes, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
    Rebecca Plevin, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Some people spotted the shimmering colors with the naked eye, while others caught the glow with their cameras.
    Joe Spring, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Dec. 2024
  • The planet can be found between the nearly full moon and a reddish-orange star called Aldebaran, which shines brightest in the Taurus constellation and can be seen with the naked eye.
    Denise Chow, NBC News, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • For royal fans, one unmistakable sign that the festive season is approaching is when Kate Middleton and Prince William send out their traditional Christmas cards.
    Katharina Fuchs, Glamour, 19 Dec. 2024
  • With her signature white bob and questioning eyes, Mellen was unmistakable with her crisp minimalist style and quick pace.
    Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Headbands Do Blair Waldorf or Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy proud with a sparkly or plain headband that sweeps hair back with ease.
    Kiana Murden, Vogue, 25 Dec. 2024
  • Now, that comes with the caveat that everyone has different dietary needs, budgets, and plain old preferences.
    Sara Coughlin, SELF, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Witkoff was with Trump during the apparent second assassination attempt on his life, telling NBC that Secret Service agents dived on Trump and got him off his Florida golf course in under 20 seconds.
    Sara Dorn, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
  • Behind the scenes, fans speculated about an apparent rift between Lively and Baldoni, who avoided one another other during press junkets and appeared separately on red carpets.
    Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 22 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near bald

Cite this Entry

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

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