matizar

to nuance

verb mah-tee-SAHR Rare

Also means

to qualify

Usage Note

Matizar means to add nuance, shade, or qualification to a statement — often softening or refining it. In art it originally meant to blend colours into subtle shades (matiz = hue/nuance). In discourse, quiero matizar que... is a polite way of correcting or qualifying a previous assertion without fully contradicting it.

Examples

"El ministro quiso matizar sus declaraciones anteriores."

Natural Translation

The minister wanted to qualify his previous statements.

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