Accused in his youth of possessing all of the tact of a bull in a china shop, now-polished Nashville native Kenneth Skye has adopted nuance as a way of life - and as his favorite word.
"It's classy and sort of French-sounding without all the hype," said Skye, who hates the ostentatious accents in words like "fiancée." "And it's also pretty straightforward to spell. It checks all my boxes."
Skye noted that, for him, the word "nuance" likewise serves as a tool for swift character assessment. "When someone uses it in the course of a conversation, I immediately know they have a sense of refinement. It shows me they don't feel the need to paint everything with an overly broad brush. They care."
That being said, Skye cautioned that, when misused, "nuance" can be a red flag for flimsy excuses or a refusal to accept accountability for a clearcut wrong. "But that's the exception," he said. "Very rare."
While Skye is happy to rave about all the ways that "nuance" has added to his life, he urged others not to go haywire in overuse of an admittedly highly flexible and adaptable word.
"It's a great word to have in your toolbox, but it shouldn't be your only word," he advised. "Expand your vocabulary is the best advice I can offer."
