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

The person had no idea Jason Kehoe repeatedly shared the image, which appeared to show them nude, until a detective notified them, the West Springfield Police Department said in a Jan. 2 news release. —Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2025

Two years ago, the duo sued Paramount Pictures, alleging that Zeffirelli violated their consent by filming them nude without their knowledge. —Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 28 Dec. 2024

Noun

Glamour editors are obsessed with Skims’ mesh underwire bra, which comes in a variety of nudes to match various skin tones. —Malia Griggs, Glamour, 20 Dec. 2024

One option from Vazquez combines Mac cosmetics Honey Love Lipstick for the perfect nude and Major HeadLines Double Take Crème & Powder by Patrick Ta. —Celeste Polanco, Essence, 18 Dec. 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