: including only what is most basic or necessary
a bare-bones email program
Skyscrapers of steel hung with curtain walls of glass, these sleek buildings were impressive monuments to bare-bones architectural integrity.—
C. A. Mills
C. A. Mills
: the barest essentials, facts, or elements
the bare bones of her life
Examples of bare-bones in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 30 Jan. 2026
Williams knows how to humanize this bare-bones vocabulary, minutely adjusting the voicing of a chord or caressing the last of a set of recurring motifs with a regretful ritardando.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Isabella Backman, Hartford Courant, 27 Jan. 2026
Mostly bare bones, with minimal clutter and rider aids – how dirt bikes should be.
—New Atlas, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bare-bones
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Adjective
The film is expected to do around $9M-$10M, a great number for a movie Anthony reports cost under $3M and had bare-bones P&A.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 30 Jan. 2026
Williams knows how to humanize this bare-bones vocabulary, minutely adjusting the voicing of a chord or caressing the last of a set of recurring motifs with a regretful ritardando.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Plural noun
This initial funding enabled them to hire a bare bones team to gather the data needed to sway investors.
—Isabella Backman, Hartford Courant, 27 Jan. 2026
Mostly bare bones, with minimal clutter and rider aids – how dirt bikes should be.
—New Atlas, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bare-bones
Cite this Entry
“Bare-bones.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bare-bones. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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