| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| naked (adj.), nude (adj., n.) |
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| These are synonyms in their literal sense of “unclothed, uncovered,” but they are used in somewhat different environments. Naked concentrates on the simple physical fact, whereas nude has artistic overtones: The naked soldiers were bathing in the pond. The model posed nude for the class. Figurative uses are also differently distributed, nude being used frequently as a color designation (but see FLESH), naked being widely employed to mean “unadorned, unvarnished,” as in the naked truth. The noun nude refers to a drawing, painting, or sculpture depicting the unclothed human body. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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