nuancer
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shade, add colour gradations to, qualify, add nuance to, temper
/nɥɑ̃se/
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To introduce subtle differences into colour, thought or feeling.
Examples
Le doute nuançait sa joie.
Doubt tinged his joy.
Elle nuance le bleu avec une pointe de gris.
She shades the blue with a hint of grey.
Il faut nuancer les tons sans les mélanger.
You need to shade the tones without blending them.
Son sourire nuançait son refus d’un peu de douceur.
Her smile softened her refusal a little.
Il a nuancé son accord de quelques réserves.
He tempered his agreement with a few reservations.
Similar words
ombrer
tempérer
modérer
préciser
moduler
distinguer
dégrader
modérer
tempérer
adoucir
Meanings
Examples
Elle nuance le bleu avec une pointe de gris.
She shades the blue with a hint of grey.
Le peintre a nuancé les verts du paysage.
The painter varied the shades of green in the landscape.
Cette lumière nuance les couleurs du mur.
This light gives subtle shades to the wall’s colours.
Il faut nuancer les tons sans les mélanger.
You need to shade the tones without blending them.
La couturière nuance le tissu avec plusieurs fils.
The dressmaker adds subtle colour variation to the fabric with several threads.
Examples
Elle a nuancé son jugement après avoir lu le rapport.
She qualified her judgment after reading the report.
Nous devons nuancer cette conclusion trop générale.
We need to qualify that overly broad conclusion.
L’historien nuance son analyse selon les sources.
The historian adds nuance to his analysis according to the sources.
Je voudrais nuancer ce que j’ai dit hier.
I would like to qualify what I said yesterday.
Les chiffres nous obligent à nuancer le bilan.
The figures force us to take a more nuanced view of the assessment.
Similar words
préciser
distinguer
tempérer
modérer
Examples
Son sourire nuançait son refus d’un peu de douceur.
Her smile softened her refusal a little.
Il a nuancé son accord de quelques réserves.
He tempered his agreement with a few reservations.
Une pointe d’ironie nuance ses compliments.
A hint of irony colours his compliments.
Elle nuance sa colère d’une certaine compassion.
She tempers her anger with some compassion.
Le doute nuançait sa joie.
Doubt tinged his joy.
FAQ
What does nuancer usually mean in discussion?
To qualify a statement by making its distinctions clearer.
Can nuancer describe colours?
Yes, it also means introducing fine gradations of shade.
What happens to the spelling in nous nuançons?
The c becomes ç before o to keep the soft sound.
Is nuancer the same as denying?
No. It adjusts a claim without necessarily rejecting it.
Can it apply to feelings?
Yes, another feeling can temper or colour a response.
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