Main Entry:

¹bare

Pronunciation:

\ˈber\

Function:

adjective

Inflected Form(s):

bar·er; bar·est

Etymology:

Middle English, from Old English bær; akin to Old High German bar naked, Lithuanian basas barefoot

Date:

before 12th century

1 a: lacking a natural, usual, or appropriate covering b (1): lacking clothing <bare feet> (2)obsolete : bareheaded c: lacking any tool or weapon <opened the box with his bare hands>2: open to view : exposed <laying bare their secrets>3 a: unfurnished or scantily supplied <a bare room> b: destitute <bare of all safeguards>4 a: having nothing left over or added <the bare necessities of life> b: mere <a bare two hours away> c: devoid of amplification or adornment <the bare facts>5obsolete : worthless

— bare·ness noun

synonyms bare, naked, nude, bald, barren mean deprived of naturally or conventionally appropriate covering. bare implies the removal of what is additional, superfluous, ornamental, or dispensable <an apartment with bare walls>. naked suggests absence of protective or ornamental covering but may imply a state of nature, of destitution, or of defenselessness <poor half-naked children>. nude applies especially to the unclothed human figure <a nude model posing for art students>. bald implies actual or seeming absence of natural covering and may suggest a conspicuous bareness <a bald mountain peak>. barren often suggests aridity or impoverishment or sterility <barren plains>.