To think that bald does not mean completely hair-less?

[Feelingmardy]

Please settle a dispute between me and OH. Does bald refer to men with very little hair or men with no hair at all on their head?

YABU: bald means not one single hair on your head
YANBU: bald means not much hair on your head

Bald is bald as in completely hairless.

Having hair but thinning is balding

But then English is not my first language.

I’d say that bald can mean someone with a small amount of hair - it doesn’t just mean completely hairless.

@frazzledasarock

Bald is bald as in completely hairless.

Having hair but thinning is balding

But then English is not my first language.

This ^

I've never given it a huge amount of thought but my gut response would be that I'd expect completely hairless.

Bald means no hair at all.

I've just asked my partner and we both agree. That's shocked me more than anything tbh!

Bald means you have no hair. You are bald.

My baby nephew has tufts of hair. He is not bald.

It's quite rare for someone to have no hair at all - I'd call someone bald once their head's more bald than not I think.

Bald is bald… no hair.

Bald is with no hair.

@DysmalRadius

It's quite rare for someone to have no hair at all - I'd call someone bald once their head's more bald than not I think.

This is what I thought too. If it's completely without hair then I've not actually ever met a bald person. I have to bow to MN judgement though!

I’d say bald is once someone has a significant bald patch on top, but may well have hair round the sides still, especially if shaved quite short

@GailLondon

I’d say bald is once someone has a significant bald patch on top, but may well have hair round the sides still, especially if shaved quite short

But you say yourself, that's a bald patch, not bald.

I think I disagree with most of the PPs. If someone was described to me as being bald I would expect either no or only a little hair.

For me, someone is bald when there is more skin visible than hair on the top half of their head. When it's closer to 50/50 then I'd say either 'balding' or 'bald on top'.

Phew, I've never really thought about it before - turns out it's surprisingly complex when I have to articulate it. 🤔

Bald is hairless...that's why we say "going bald' when we see a man with a bald patch.

If bald is bald, then why would we ever need to say completely bald?

Balding
|
Baldy
|
Bald

That's the scale

I do know a completely bald man, it’s a wholly different proposition from male pattern baldness. I don’t think ‘bald’ quite describes it, really, I’d feel the need to add, ‘you know, no hair at all’ if I was being asked to describe him.

What about bald on top but some around the ears and nape?

To me, bald means having a bald patch on top but I do get the argument for balding, etc

@Pucarbuile

What about bald on top but some around the ears and nape?

I'd say that was either 'going bald' or 'balding'.

I would say Jason Alexander is bald, for example. Did not realise that was weird!

@Pucarbuile

What about bald on top but some around the ears and nape?

Balding. Or ‘bald on top’.

@Pucarbuile

What about bald on top but some around the ears and nape?

This is balding. I think I might use it for a person like this who shaved the rest of the hair off which might be the confusion here. If someone is described as bald I wouldn’t expect to see any hair. They might be able to grow a small amount, but would keep it shaved to nothing.

Total hair loss = bald
Partial hair loss = balding
At least that's the way I look at it.