Merriam-Webster changes 'nude' definition after online push

Merriam-Webster has changed the definition of the word 'nude' after a social media push claimed the previous definition was offensive toward people of color. The previous definition contained a line that described 'nude' as 'having the color of a white person's skin.

According to the Washington Post, a student started a campaign called 'Nude Awakening'.

According to the campaign's website, the change was made after over 800 users flooded the online dictionary's website with comments to remove and update their definition.

The new definition reads in part, 'having a color (as pale beige or tan) that matches the wearer's skin tones.'

In an email, Merriam-Webster's Director of Marketing said, "Recent comments concerning one of the definitions of 'nude' led us to review current evidence of the word's use in the fashion industry. That evidence showed that the existing treatment was in fact inappropriately narrow, so we recast the definition with language that accurately reflects the word's broader meaning while also indicating more clearly the contexts in which this sense occurs."