nude
1 of 2adjective
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
noun ˈnyü-
nude
2 of 2noun
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
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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
Christian Allaire, Vogue, 15 Sep. 2022 A few weeks later, Picasso completed work on his famous Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, in which African masks substitute for the faces of two of the five nude female figures. David Frum, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2022 Her cheekbones were bronzed while a nude base filled the center of her lips. Chelsea Avila, Allure, 14 Sep. 2022 This vegan polish isn't your average nude, though — it's formulated to flatter all skin tones, but it's made with deeper skin tones in mind. Katie Berohn, Good Housekeeping, 13 Sep. 2022 Britney Spears' nude Instagramsare sparking concern. Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2022 The text has since been deleted from the post, but the accompanying photo remains of a completely nude Spears facing away from the camera with a heart sticker over her rear end. Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 12 Sep. 2022 LaChapelle interpreted the scripture into a portrait last year -- a nude male model sitting in front of a mirror, tears wet on his face, holding a phone with a distorted image of himself on the screen. Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 12 Sep. 2022 The brunette showed off her buzz cut in a sheer nude Etro gown with dramatic side cutouts and minimal jewelry. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 11 Sep. 2022 Nicol Natale, PEOPLE.com, 19 July 2022 The singer and actress marked the occasion in the nude to show off a new product. Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 24 July 2022 Survey Greek urns or Roman frescoes and the answer is clear—throughout antiquity, men went swimming in the nude. Todd Plummer, WSJ, 29 June 2022 In September, Hudson posted a funny video of himself running away in the snow while in the nude. Shafiq Najib, PEOPLE.com, 3 July 2022 Nowhere is this oversight more egregious than in the episode devoted to a critique of the female nude. R.e. Hawley, The Atlantic, 10 May 2022 There were salons, poetry recitals and dances — at least one of which, to the horror of neighbors, transpired in the nude. Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2022 Lempicka was openly bisexual and famously painted some of her female lovers, including Rafaela Fano and Suzy Solidor, in the nude. San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 June 2022 Across the room, reclining nudes are arranged along a wall, including a 1990 male nude made of glass by Richard Jolley and an 1892 oil by Frank Duveneck of a woman stretched across what appears to be a divan. Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Jan. 2022 See More
Adjective
That skintight, nude-toned dress that Kardashian adopted as her own, however, is exactly what Johnson describes as best defining Monroe’s style. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 15 Sep. 2022 A few weeks later, Picasso completed work on his famous Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, in which African masks substitute for the faces of two of the five nude female figures. David Frum, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2022 Her cheekbones were bronzed while a nude base filled the center of her lips. Chelsea Avila, Allure, 14 Sep. 2022 This vegan polish isn't your average nude, though — it's formulated to flatter all skin tones, but it's made with deeper skin tones in mind. Katie Berohn, Good Housekeeping, 13 Sep. 2022 Britney Spears' nude Instagramsare sparking concern. Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2022 The text has since been deleted from the post, but the accompanying photo remains of a completely nude Spears facing away from the camera with a heart sticker over her rear end. Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 12 Sep. 2022 LaChapelle interpreted the scripture into a portrait last year -- a nude male model sitting in front of a mirror, tears wet on his face, holding a phone with a distorted image of himself on the screen. Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 12 Sep. 2022 The brunette showed off her buzz cut in a sheer nude Etro gown with dramatic side cutouts and minimal jewelry. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 11 Sep. 2022 Noun
To apply it over your manicure, start with a base coat and then paint two shades of your lacquer of choice (perhaps give Bieber's favorite nude a try!). Nicol Natale, PEOPLE.com, 19 July 2022 The singer and actress marked the occasion in the nude to show off a new product. Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 24 July 2022 Survey Greek urns or Roman frescoes and the answer is clear—throughout antiquity, men went swimming in the nude. Todd Plummer, WSJ, 29 June 2022 In September, Hudson posted a funny video of himself running away in the snow while in the nude. Shafiq Najib, PEOPLE.com, 3 July 2022 Nowhere is this oversight more egregious than in the episode devoted to a critique of the female nude. R.e. Hawley, The Atlantic, 10 May 2022 There were salons, poetry recitals and dances — at least one of which, to the horror of neighbors, transpired in the nude. Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2022 Lempicka was openly bisexual and famously painted some of her female lovers, including Rafaela Fano and Suzy Solidor, in the nude. San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 June 2022 Across the room, reclining nudes are arranged along a wall, including a 1990 male nude made of glass by Richard Jolley and an 1892 oil by Frank Duveneck of a woman stretched across what appears to be a divan. Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Jan. 2022 See More 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
Kids Definition
nude
adjective
ˈnüd
ˈnyüd
nuder; nudest
: not wearing clothes : naked
nude 1 of 2
adjective
as in naked
lacking or shed of clothing Picasso's paintings of nude art models Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- naked
- stripped
- bare
- unclothed
- undressed
- unclad
- disrobed
- stark naked
- starkers
- topless
- au naturel
- bottomless
- raw
- seminude
- mother-naked
- in the nude
- in the raw
- peeled
- in the buff
- denuded
- in the altogether
- unveiled
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dressed
- clad
- clothed
- robed
- covered
- invested
- veiled
- garbed
- suited
- attired
- decked (out)
- apparelled
- rigged (out)
- appareled
- caparisoned
- arrayed
- vested
- decent
- tricked (out)
nude
2 of 2noun
as in nudity
the state of having no clothes on one's body the artist painted some models in the nude Synonyms & Similar Words
- nudity
- nakedness
- raw
- birthday suit
- altogether
- naturism
- bottomlessness
- buff
- nudism
- bareness
- toplessness
Synonym Chooser
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
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
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
The meanings of barren and nude largely overlap; however, barren often suggests aridity or impoverishment or sterility.
barren plains
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