naked

adjective

ˈnā-kəd How to pronounce naked (audio)
Definition of nakednext
1
as in nude
lacking or shed of clothing had recurrent nightmares about being naked in public

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bare
lacking a usual or natural covering the winter trees now look so naked without their colorful fall foliage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in simple
free from all additions or embellishment a naked room waiting for an interior decorator's inspired touch

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective naked differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of naked are bald, bare, barren, and nude. While all these words mean "deprived of naturally or conventionally appropriate covering," naked suggests absence of protective or ornamental covering but may imply a state of nature, of destitution, or of defenselessness.

poor half-naked children

When would bald be a good substitute for naked?

In some situations, the words bald and naked are roughly equivalent. However, bald implies actual or seeming absence of natural covering and may suggest a conspicuous bareness.

a bald mountain peak

When could bare be used to replace naked?

The meanings of bare and naked largely overlap; however, bare implies the removal of what is additional, superfluous, ornamental, or dispensable.

an apartment with bare walls

When can barren be used instead of naked?

While in some cases nearly identical to naked, barren often suggests aridity or impoverishment or sterility.

barren plains

When might nude be a better fit than naked?

The words nude and naked are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, nude applies especially to the unclothed human figure.

a nude model posing for art students

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of naked Around 92% of the lunar surface will be covered when the eclipse passes over the KC skies, and the moon will be significantly darker with a slight red hue that can be seen with the naked eye. — Joseph Hernandez august 25, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026 Contrary to a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is completely safe to watch with the naked eye. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 24 Aug. 2026 Police said the boys told investigators they were instructed to pose naked for Barr. — Garrett Behanna, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026 There are moments when Ocean’s voice feels almost naked against a few chords. — Desjah Altvater, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for naked
Recent Examples of Synonyms for naked
  1. nude
  2. bare
  3. simple
  4. exposed
  5. plain
  6. uncovered
  7. bald
  8. open
Adjective
  • Everything breaks, guns go off, an illusionist loses his clothes and jumps fully nude into the crowd — all within the first five minutes.
    — Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The natural nail color still shines through, while a subtle rosy or nude-colored veil creates a polished, glossy effect.
    — Paula Oelbaum, Glamour, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of nude
Adjective
  • The Mercyenforcer grips the handle of his light in his bare hand to look into my other eye.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026
  • To his left, Patrick Gemayel (aka P-Thugg) wore a rhinestone durag and a leather vest over a bare chest.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of bare
Adjective
  • Waist circumference is one simple way to estimate visceral fat.
    — Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
  • From a straightforward season-long points race to giving the points leader a cushion on the leaderboard, and now the simple format of awarding the FedEx Cup to the winner of the Tour Championship, the postseason has long needed a boost.
    — Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of simple
Adjective
  • Morgan Stanley said Equinix and Digital Realty are less exposed because their facilities average roughly 5 to 10 megawatts, far below the gigawatt-scale AI campuses planned by hyperscalers and neocloud operators.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The fact that my life is so exposed is incredibly complex for me.
    — Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of exposed
Adjective
  • As of Tuesday morning, those two clubs remained in the top four English spenders on a net basis this summer, but the reasons are plain.
    — Andy Naylor, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Every project should publish a plain-English fact sheet before approval.
    — Mark Drapeau, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of plain
Adjective
  • But Texas is one of 10 states that chose not to expand Medicaid after the ACA became law, so many of the poorest Texans remain uncovered.
    — Olivia Aldridge, NPR, 23 Aug. 2026
  • There, too, cafés have been pressured to refuse to serve uncovered women, a young woman who recently traveled there told me.
    — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
Definition of uncovered
Adjective
  • Because the payoff was an epic view of Lake Superior and Grand Marais from the top of a massive bald monolith.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026
  • For more than a decade, a live feed has documented events at a bald-eagle nest near Big Bear Lake, in the San Bernardino Mountains, east of Los Angeles.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of bald
Adjective
  • Based on this brief Anton shot and a couple of other small moments — like Paul Baker delivering breakfast to both Anton and Issa in the cold open — that story line isn’t over.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • This online co-op game brings players together in an open-world sandbox filled with mini-games, collectibles, and tons of secrets.
    — Jason Cohen, PC Magazine, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of open

Phrases Containing naked

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naivety
naked
nakedness
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Cite this Entry

“Naked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/naked. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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