ENGLISH
REFERENCE

nude

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈnud// UK //njˈuːd// nude Archaic

n. a painting, photograph, or statue of a person who is not wearing any clothes. In art, it is often used to show the beauty of the human body.

n. a work of art, such as a painting or sculpture, depicting the unclothed human figure. Often used as a collective noun in art history to refer to the genre itself.


SIMPLE

The museum has a famous nude by a French painter.

CONTEXTUAL

The art student spent the afternoon sketching a classic nude to practice drawing realistic skin tones and shadows.

COMPLEX

While some viewers found the exhibition provocative, the curator argued that the nudes were intended to celebrate human vulnerability rather than to elicit a prurient response.

Synonyms
Origin

Entered English 1493 as a legal term, meaning "unsupported, not formally attested," from Middle English nud, from Latin nūdus (“naked, bare”).

Usage

Often used with the definite article ('the nude') when referring to the artistic genre or the tradition of depicting the unclothed body.

© 2026 English Reference