nuance

noun nu·ance \ˈnü-ˌän(t)s, ˈnyü-, -ˌäⁿs; nü-ˈ, nyü-ˈ\

: a very small difference in color, tone, meaning, etc.

Full Definition of NUANCE

: a subtle distinction or variation

: a subtle quality : nicety

: sensibility to, awareness of, or ability to express delicate shadings (as of meaning, feeling, or value)

— nu·anced \-ˌän(t)st, -ˈän(t)st\ adjective

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Examples of NUANCE

Between the lines of lexicographical nuance and quotation, Johnson was paying old debts and seeking out wisdom about himself and his adopted city, as well as compiling perhaps the greatest commonplace book in the history of mankind. —Andrew O'Hagan, New York Review, 27 Apr. 2006
In every silky statement from General Musharraf about the need for a short—in other words: limited—war, and in every nuance of the Pakistani official posture, I was sure I detected the local version of Schadenfreude. —Christopher Hitchens, Vanity Fair, January 2002
To La Farge, eccentricity meant convention; a mind really eccentric never betrayed it. True eccentricity was a tone—a shade—a nuance—and the finer the tone, the truer the eccentricity. —Henry Adams, The Education of Henry Adams, 1907
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Origin of NUANCE

French, from Middle French, shade of color, from nuer to make shades of color, from nue cloud, from Latin nubes; perhaps akin to Welsh nudd mist

First Known Use: 1781