When we talk about nuance, we're talking about shades of meaning--all the emotions and associations that a word brings up in a reader. This is also called a word's connotation. Advertisers and journalists as well as poets and politicians use the power of nuance every day.
Click on the images in the table below to see nuance in action.
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Normal Wording | Nuance Wording |
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Panthers Win! | Panthers Triumph! |
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sheer fabric | gossamer |
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artificial marble | faux marble |
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soldier | hero |
Question
Which term from the table above might a poet use to describe the material a lovely gown is made of?
gossamer
Question
Which type of marble-like product in the table above is likely to cost less? What makes you think so?
Artificial marble is likely to cost less. Artificial is a more factual and less fancy or pretentious word than faux.
