Meaning & use
nudity
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Meaning
noununcountable
The state of being nude or unclothed.
Grammar: Uncountable; no plural, and it is the neutral term in art, medicine, law, and media warnings.
Patterns
- public nudity
- partial nudity
- full nudity
- nudity in art
The museum note said the exhibition contains nudity.
Public nudity is illegal in many cities.
The painting uses nudity to symbolize vulnerability rather than to shock.
Common combinations
- full nudity
- The documentary avoided full nudity by framing the scenes carefully.
- partial nudity
- The film was rated for brief partial nudity.
- public nudity
- The law distinguishes breastfeeding from public nudity.
- artistic nudity
- Students discussed why artistic nudity appears in classical sculpture.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nakedness
- The closest everyday word; nudity is more neutral and formal.
- bareness
- Can mean lack of covering on objects or land as well as bodies.
Word family
Commonly confused: nudity or nudism?
nudity vs nudism
Nudity is the state of being unclothed; nudism is a lifestyle or practice built around that state.
Practice
The gallery warned visitors that the exhibition contains ___.
Choose one answer.
Nudity is the uncountable state being warned about. Nudism and a nudist refer to a practice or person, and naked is an adjective, not the needed noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nudity”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.