Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Completely nude; without any clothing: This phrase describes a state of total nakedness, comparing it to the natural, unclothed condition of a human at the moment of birth. It emphasizes a complete absence of garments or coverings.

Usage

• This phrase is used as a predicate adjective, typically following a linking verb like "be" or "was." It is a vivid, idiomatic expression for describing complete nudity.
• It often carries a connotation of being natural, vulnerable, or exposed, and can be used in literal, humorous, or literary contexts.

Examples

• Adjective:
  • After the wave knocked him over, he washed up on the beach, naked as the day he was born.
  • The toddler ran through the sprinklers, as naked as the day he was born, laughing with joy.
  • In the dream, I found myself standing in a crowded room, naked as the day I was born, and utterly embarrassed.

Advanced Usage

• "as naked as the day (that) one was born": The full comparative structure. The words "that" or "when" are often omitted in common usage.
  • The sauna tradition requires you to be as naked as the day you were born.
• Used to emphasize a state of being stripped of all possessions, protections, or pretenses, not just clothing.
  • After the bankruptcy, he felt naked as the day he was born, with nothing to his name.

Variants and Related Words

• In the buff (idiom, adj.): Completely naked.
  • They decided to go swimming in the buff.
• In one's birthday suit (idiom, n.): A humorous phrase for being nude.
  • The baby was crawling around in her birthday suit.
• Nude (adj.): A more formal or clinical term for being unclothed.
  • The artist's model posed nude.

Synonyms

• Stark naked: Completely and obviously nude.
• Bare: Uncovered; can refer to body parts or a lack of adornment.
• Unclothed: Not wearing clothes; a neutral, descriptive term.

Related Phrases

• With nothing on: A simple, direct phrase meaning wearing no clothes.
  • He answered the door with nothing on.
• In the altogether: An old-fashioned, informal idiom for being nude.
  • The painting depicted the figures in the altogether.

Related Idioms

• Naked truth: The plain, unadorned truth without any lies or embellishment.
  • He finally told me the naked truth about what happened.
• With one's pants down: To be caught in an embarrassing or vulnerable situation (not necessarily literal nudity).
  • The surprise inspection caught the manager with his pants down.

Adjective

1. as naked as at birth