naked

Universal Words adjective 1 not wearing any clothes SYNBARE: a naked body * naked shoulders * They often wandered around the house stark naked (= completely naked). * They found him half naked and bleeding to death. * The prisoners were stripped naked. seealsoBUCKNAKED 2 [usuallybeforenoun] without the usual covering SYNBARE: a naked bulb / light * a naked flame * a naked sword * Mice are born naked (= without fur). 3 [onlybeforenoun] (of emotions, attitudes, etc.) expressed strongly and not hidden: naked aggression / ambition * the naked truth 4 [notusuallybeforenoun] unable to protect yourself from being harmed, criticized, etc. SYNHELPLESS: He still felt naked and drained after his ordeal. nakedly adverb: nakedly aggressive nakedness noun [U]: She pulled the sheet higher to cover her nakedness. IDIOMS the naked eye the normal power of your eyes without the help of an instrument: The planet should be visible with / to the naked eye. ______________________________ WHICHWORD? naked / bare Both these words can be used to mean 'not covered with clothes' and are frequently used with the following nouns: naked ~ bare ~ body feet man arms fear walls aggression branches flame essentials Naked is more often used to describe a person or their body and bare usually describes a part of the body. Bare can also describe other things with nothing on them: bare walls * a bare hillside. Naked can mean 'without a protective covering': a naked sword. Bare can also mean 'just enough': the bare minimum. Naked can be used to talk about strong feelings that are not hidden: naked fear. Note also the idiom: (visible) to/with the naked eye. ______________________________