nuancée

Nuancée is the feminine form of the French adjective nuancé, used to describe something that possesses nuance—subtle distinctions in meaning, tone, or color. The masculine form is nuancé; together they form a gendered adjective that agrees with the noun it modifies. The corresponding noun is nuance, meaning a subtle difference or shade of meaning or color.

In usage, nuancée is common in analysis, criticism, and description when a speaker or writer wants to signal that a statement is not absolute but acknowledges complexity. A nuancée argument or perspective shows consideration of multiple factors and avoids binary judgments. The verb nuancer means to introduce nuance or to qualify.

Nuance plays across fields: in linguistics, it refers to subtle variants of meaning; in art and photography, to delicate gradations of color or light; in music, to subtleties in expression and dynamics; in politics or ethics, to recognize shades of gray rather than black-and-white positions. In English translations, nuancé is rendered as nuanced; noun nuance as nuance.

Examples: une analyse nuancée; une opinion nuancée; une nuance de couleur; a nuanced interpretation; the nuances of a melody.