Word Study
nuance
CIDE DICTIONARY
nuance, n. [F.].
- A shade of difference; a delicate gradation. [1913 Webster]
- A small difference in meaning, significance, or expression. [PJC]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
nuance, n. & v.
--n. a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, feeling, colour, etc.
--v.tr. give a nuance or nuances to.
--n. a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, feeling, colour, etc.
--v.tr. give a nuance or nuances to.
Etymology
F f. nuer to shade, ult. f. L nubes cloud
THESAURUS
nuance
allegory, allusion, amount, arcane meaning, assumption, caliber, coloration, compass, connotation, contradistinction, cut, dash, degree, delicacy, delicate distinction, demarcation, differentia, differential, differentiation, distinction, distinctiveness, distinguishment, division, extent, fine point, grade, hairline, hairsplitting, height, hint, implication, implied meaning, import, inference, innuendo, interval, intimation, ironic suggestion, leap, level, margin, mark, meaning, measure, metaphorical sense, microscopic distinction, narrow margin, nice distinction, nicety, notch, occult meaning, overtone, particle of difference, pas, peg, period, pitch, plane, plateau, point, point of difference, presumption, presupposition, proportion, range, ratio, reach, refinement, remove, round, rung, scale, scope, segregation, separation, shade, shade of difference, shadow, soupcon, space, stair, standard, step, stint, subsense, subsidiary sense, subtle distinction, subtlety, suggestion, supposition, suspicion, symbolism, tinge, touch, tread, trichoschistism, undercurrent, undermeaning, undertone, wide marginROGET THESAURUS
nuance
Difference
N difference, variance, variation, variety, diversity, dissimilarity, disagreement, disparity, distinction, contradistinction, alteration, modification, permutation, moods and tenses, nice distinction, fine distinction, delicate distinction, subtle distinction, shade of difference, nuance, discrimination, differentia, different thing, something else, apple off another tree, another pair of shoes, horse of a different color, this that or the other, differing, different, diverse, heterogeneous, multifarious, polyglot, distinguishable, dissimilar, varied, modified, diversified, various, divers, all manner of, all kinds of, variform, daedal, other, another, not the same, unequal, unmatched, widely apart, poles apart, distinctive, characteristic, discriminative, distinguishing, incommensurable, incommensurate, differently, il y a fagots et fagots.For further exploring for "nuance" in Webster Dictionary Online