nude

Formsnuder, nudest

Pluralnudes

1. 1
   without clothesadjective

   Wearing no clothing or other covering on the skin, or at least leaving the genitals or a woman's nipples uncovered.

   The film's nude scenes were cut for the television version.

   Guests at the hot springs may bathe nude in the early morning hours.

   UsageNude sounds cooler than naked, as in nude scenes; fixed phrases like the naked eye keep naked.

   Similarnaked, bare, unclothed, undressed

   Oppositeclothed, dressed

   Note

   The bodily meaning is not where the word started in English: it first arrived as a legal term, from Latin nūdus, "naked, bare", and the sense of an unclothed body came after. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • Nude entered English as a legal term before acquiring its bodily meaning. en.wiktionary.org
   • The word derives from Latin nūdus, meaning naked or bare. en.wiktionary.org
2. 2
   nouncountable

   A painting, sculpture, photograph, or other image showing one or more people completely or almost completely undressed.

   The exhibition pairs classical marble nudes with modern black-and-white photographs.

   Sending a nude to someone you have only met online can come back to haunt you.

   Note

   Art history counts nudes as single works and classes them by pose, so Michelangelo's David is a standing male nude. In everyday talk about phones the same noun now means a private photo of oneself undressed, sent to someone else, and send a nude is almost always heard that way. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

   • Michelangelo's David is a standing male nude. en.wikipedia.org
3. 3
   skin-tonedadjective

   Of clothing, makeup, and the like: having a color, such as beige or tan, that suggests bare skin.

   A nude bra is the safest choice under a sheer white blouse.

   The bridesmaids wore nude pumps so the focus stayed on their dresses.

   UsageUsually right before the noun: nude heels, a nude lip.

   Similarbeige, flesh-colored

   Note

   Beauty and fashion use it for an effect as well as a shade: a nude lip, nail or bra is meant to disappear against the skin, the barely-there look rather than a bold one.

4. 4
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A color resembling bare skin, or a paint, dye, or similar product in that color.

   The new eyeshadow palette runs from pale nudes to deep browns.

   The designer dyed the silk lining a pale nude to match the jacket.

   Similarbeige

5. 5
   noununcountable

   The state of being completely naked, used with the and most often in the phrase in the nude.

   Photographers caught the actor sunbathing in the nude on a private yacht.

   The art class drew the model in the nude for the first time that semester.

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