nuance

See also: Nuance and nuancé

English

WOTD – 1 February 2007

Etymology

Borrowed from French nuance (“nuance, shade, hue”). Omitting several steps, from Latin nūbēs.

Compare typologically Italian sfumatura (< Latin fūmus).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈnjuː.ɑːns/, /njuː.ɒ̃(n)s/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈnju.ɑns/, /ˈnuː.ɑns/

  • Audio (California):

    (file)

  • Audio (New Jersey):

    (file)

• (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈnjʉː.ɐːns/

  • Audio (Queensland):

    (file)

Noun

nuance (countable and uncountable, plural nuances)

2. (countable) A minor distinction.

   hidden nuances

4. Subtlety or fine detail.

   Understanding the basics is easy, but appreciating the nuances takes years.

   • 1901, Alpheus Spring Packard, Lamarck, the Founder of Evolution‎^[1]:

     […] the richer our collections become, the more numerous are the proofs that all is more or less shaded (nuance), that the remarkable differences become obliterated […]

   • 2016, Tim Carvell [et al.], “Encryption”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 3, episode 5, John Oliver (actor), Warner Bros. Television, via HBO:

     It’s a miracle Lindsey Graham has met the concept of nuance. And this is the man who once warned “the world is literally about to blow up.” So you’re not dealing with someone who likes to dabble with grey areas.

Derived terms

• nuanced
• nuanceless
• nuancely

Translations

minor distinction

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: նրբերանգ (hy) (nrberang), նյուանս (hy) (nyuans)
• Azerbaijani: çalar, incəlik
• Belarusian: нюа́нс m (njuáns), адце́нне n (adcjénnje)
• Bulgarian: нюа́нс (bg) m (njuáns), отте́нък (bg) m (otténǎk)
• Catalan: matís (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Czech: jemný rozdíl m, nuance (cs) f
• Danish: nuance c
• Dutch: nuance (nl) f
• Esperanto: nuanco
• Finnish: vivahde
• French: nuance (fr) f, détail (fr) m
• Georgian: ნიუანსი (niuansi)
• German: Nuance (de) f
• Greek: υπαινιγμός (el) m (ypainigmós), υπονοούμενο (el) n (yponooúmeno)

  Ancient Greek: ^{(please verify)} νύξις f (núxis)

• Hungarian: árnyalat (hu), nüánsz (hu)
• Indonesian: nuansa (id)
• Italian: sfumatura (it), dettaglio (it) m sottigliezza (it) f
• Japanese: ニュアンス (ja) (nyuansu), 意味合い (ja) (いみあい, imiai)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: 뉘앙스 (ko) (nwiangseu)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: nyanse m

  Nynorsk: nyanse m

• Occitan: nuança (oc) f, matís m
• Pannonian Rusyn: ниянса f (nijansa)
• Persian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: niuans (pl) m inan
• Portuguese: nuance (pt) f, nuança (pt) f, sutileza (pt) f, matiz (pt) m
• Romanian: nuanță (ro) f, nuanțe f pl
• Russian: нюа́нс (ru) m (njuáns), отте́нок (ru) m (otténok) (of a color, tone or taste)
• Spanish: matiz (es) m, prestancia (es) f
• Swedish: nyans (sv) c
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can
• Ukrainian: нюа́нс m (njuáns), відті́нок m (vidtínok)
• Vietnamese: sắc thái (vi)

subtlety or fine detail

• Armenian: նրբերանգ (hy) (nrberang), նյուանս (hy) (nyuans), նրբություն (hy) (nrbutʻyun)
• Azerbaijani: çalar, incəlik
• Catalan: matís (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 細膩 / 细腻 (zh) (xìnì), 微妙 (zh) (wēimiào)

• Danish: nuance c
• Dutch: nuance (nl) f, subtiliteit (nl) f
• Esperanto: nuanco
• Finnish: nyanssi (fi), vivahde
• French: nuance (fr) f, subtilité (fr) f
• Georgian: ნიუანსი (niuansi)
• German: Nuance (de) f
• Greek: υπαινιγμός (el) m (ypainigmós), υπονοούμενο (el) n (yponooúmeno)

  Ancient Greek: ^{(please verify)} νύξις f (núxis)

• Indonesian: nuansa (id)
• Italian: sottigliezza (it)
• Japanese: ニュアンス (ja) (nyuansu), 詳細 (ja) (しょうさい, shōsai)
• Pannonian Rusyn: ниянса f (nijansa)
• Persian: ظرافت (fa) (zerâfat), ریزه‌کاری (rize-kâri)
• Polish: niuans (pl) m inan, subtelność (pl) f
• Portuguese: nuance (pt) f, nuança (pt) f, subtil (pt)
• Russian: нюа́нс (ru) m (njuáns), то́нкость (ru) f (tónkostʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Latin: nuance f, osjetljivost (sh) f

• Spanish: matiz (es) m, cariz (es) m, pormenor (es) m, detalle (es) m, sutileza (es) f, sutilidad (es) f, flexibilidad (es) f
• Swedish: nyans (sv) c
• Turkish: nükte (tr)

Verb

nuance (third-person singular simple present nuances, present participle nuancing, simple past and past participle nuanced)

2. (transitive) To apply a nuance to; to change or redefine in a subtle way.

Translations

to apply a nuance to

• Belarusian: нюансава́ць impf or pf (njuansavácʹ)
• Dutch: nuanceren (nl)
• Finnish: nyansoida
• French: détailler (fr)
• German: nuancieren (de)
• Italian: dettagliare (it)
• Polish: niuansować (pl) impf, zniuansować (pl) pf
• Russian: нюанси́ровать (ru) impf or pf (njuansírovatʹ)
• Spanish: matizar (es), detallar (es)
• Ukrainian: нюансува́ти impf or pf (njuansuváty)

Czech

Etymology

Etymology tree

French nue

Proto-Italic *-āzi

▲

Latin -ereinflu.

Latin -āre

Old French -ier

Middle French -er

French -er

French nuer

French -ance

French nuancebor.

Czech nuance

Borrowed from French nuance.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈnuant͡sɛ]
• IPA^(key): [ˈnɪjant͡sɛ]
• Hyphenation: nuan‧ce

Noun

nuance f

1. nuance (minor distinction)

Declension

Declension of nuance (soft feminine)

	singular	plural
nominative	nuance	nuance
genitive	nuance	nuancí
dative	nuanci	nuancím
accusative	nuanci	nuance
vocative	nuance	nuance
locative	nuanci	nuancích
instrumental	nuancí	nuancemi

Further reading

• “nuance”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “nuance”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Danish

Etymology

From French nuance.

Noun

nuance c (singular definite nuancen, plural indefinite nuancer)

1. nuance (very little difference between two colours)
2. nuance (very small difference or detail)

Declension

Declension of nuance

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	nuance	nuancen	nuancer	nuancerne
genitive	nuances	nuancens	nuancers	nuancernes

Derived terms

• farvenuance
• smagsnuance
• nuanceforskel
• nuancerig
• betydningsnuance

See also

• variation

References

• “nuance” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French nuance, from Middle French nuance, from Latin nūbēs.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nyˈɑn.sə/, [nyˈɑ̃.sə]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑnsə
• Hyphenation: nu‧an‧ce

Noun

nuance f (plural nuances or nuancen, diminutive nuanceje n or nuancetje n)

1. nuance (minor distinction)
2. nuance (subtlety or fine detail)

Related terms

• nuanceren

Descendants

• Afrikaans: nuanse
• → Indonesian: nuansa

French

Etymology

From nuer +‎ -ance.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nɥɑ̃s/

• Audio (France):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑ̃s
• Hyphenation: nu‧ance

Noun

nuance f (plural nuances)

1. nuance:
   1. (minor distinction)
   2. (subtlety or fine detail)
2. gradation of colors
3. (music) dynamics

Descendants

• → Bulgarian: нюа́нс (njuáns)
• → Czech: nuance
• → Danish: nuance
• → Dutch: nuance
  • Afrikaans: nuanse
  • → Indonesian: nuansa
• → English: nuance
• → Esperanto: nuanco
  • → Ido: nuanco
• → Finnish: nyanssi
• → German: Nuance
• → Japanese: ニュアンス
• → Korean: 뉘앙스 (nwiangseu)
• → Norwegian: nyanse
• → Polish: niuans
• → Portuguese: nuance, nuança
• → Romanian: nuanță
• → Russian: нюа́нс (njuáns)
• → Slovak: nuansa
• → Swedish: nyans

Further reading

• “nuance”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• nuança

Etymology

Etymology tree

French nue

Proto-Italic *-āzi

▲

Latin -ereinflu.

Latin -āre

Old French -ier

Middle French -er

French -er

French nuer

French -ance

French nuancebor.

Portuguese nuance

Borrowed from French nuance.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /nuˈɐ̃.si/ [nʊˈɐ̃.si], (faster pronunciation) /ˈnwɐ̃.si/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /nuˈɐ̃.si/ [nʊˈɐ̃.si], (faster pronunciation) /ˈnwɐ̃.si/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /nuˈɐ̃.se/ [nʊˈɐ̃.se], (faster pronunciation) /ˈnwɐ̃.se/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈnwɐ̃.sɨ/

• Hyphenation: nu‧an‧ce

Noun

nuance f (plural nuances)

1. gradation of colour
2. nuance:
   1. (minor distinction)
   2. (subtlety or fine detail)

Further reading

• “nuance”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “nuance”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026