I. ˈn(y)üˌän(t)s, ̷ ̷ˈ ̷ ̷ also -äⁿs sometimes ˈn(y)üən- noun
( -s )
Etymology: French, from Middle French, shade of color, from nuer to make shades of color (from nue cloud, from Latin nubes ) + -ance; akin to Greek nythos dark, Welsh nudd mist, Avestan snaotha clouds and perhaps to Greek nan to flow — more at nourish
1.
a. : a shade of difference : minute variation : delicate gradation : subtle distinction
the play of surfaces, the dance of subtle lights and shadows, the nuances of color, tones, atmosphere — Lewis Mumford
nuances of flavor and fragrance cannot be described accurately — Scott Seegers
a quick ear for nuances in mood — Irwin Edman
b. : a subtle expressive variation in a musical performance (as in tempo, dynamic intensity, or timbre) that is not indicated in the score
the jazz world's increasing preoccupation with melodic and harmonic nuances — Wilder Hobson
2. : a subtle or implicit quality, aspect, or device : nicety
a sense of the nuances of plain words — E.F.Goldman
its vernacular shape may have given it a nuance of humor — R.A.Hall
captures both the essence and the nuances of different theological positions — Review of Religion
a very singular nuance of a boy's character — the one which decides what he will or will not consider to be sneaking — W.F.De Morgan
3. : sensibility to, awareness of, or ability to express delicate shadings (as of meaning, feeling, or value) : extreme finesse
form of acting, which has no nuance or restraint — Current Biography
a performance of remarkable pliability and nuance — Irving Kolodin
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to give nuances to : express or perform with nicety or precision : depict in delicate gradations (as of colors or tones)
it is not color as such that lends enchantment to a painting, it is the manner in which it is nuanced — Frederic Taubes
an individually nuanced pronunciation — Edward Sapir
the treatment of the first movement is excessively nuanced — B.A.Haggin