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nude

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noun

as in nudity
the state of having no clothes on one's body the artist painted some models in the nude

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective nude differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of nude are bald, bare, barren, and naked. While all these words mean "deprived of naturally or conventionally appropriate covering," nude applies especially to the unclothed human figure.

a nude model posing for art students

In what contexts can bald take the place of nude?

While in some cases nearly identical to nude, bald implies actual or seeming absence of natural covering and may suggest a conspicuous bareness.

a bald mountain peak

When is bare a more appropriate choice than nude?

While the synonyms bare and nude are close in meaning, bare implies the removal of what is additional, superfluous, ornamental, or dispensable.

an apartment with bare walls

When can barren be used instead of nude?

The meanings of barren and nude largely overlap; however, barren often suggests aridity or impoverishment or sterility.

barren plains

When would naked be a good substitute for nude?

The synonyms naked and nude are sometimes interchangeable, but naked suggests absence of protective or ornamental covering but may imply a state of nature, of destitution, or of defenselessness.

poor half-naked children

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 nude
Adjective
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation began looking into Parker after the department traced a nude photo of a 4-year-old girl to the former police officer. Angel Saunders, People.com, 2 Nov. 2024 The most recent statue showed up in Philadelphia on Thursday and featured a 40-foot nude statue of former President Trump, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Juliann Ventura, The Hill, 31 Oct. 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 See all Example Sentences for nude 

Thesaurus Entries Near nude

Cite this Entry

“Nude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nude. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

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