bare-bones

1 of 2

adjective

ˈber-ˈbōnz 

: 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

bare bones

2 of 2

plural noun

: the barest essentials, facts, or elements

the bare bones of her life

Examples of bare-bones in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Two couples, one dinner party — that’s the bare-bones basis of The Invite, an adaptation of the 2020 Spanish movie The People Upstairs that feels tailor-made to be franchised, translated to just about any language, and transposed onto just about any upper-middle-class milieu. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2026

But the extra costs from their bare-bones insurance plan are squeezing their household finances. — Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 25 June 2026

Plural noun

Other submissions were more bare bones, literally. — Holly Ramer, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026

Boyle puts extra meat on Patrick’s bare bones with a soulful performance that meshes precisely with Petticrew’s turn as the slight-in-stature but formidably strong-willed Shiv. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1868, in the meaning defined above

Plural Noun

1647, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bare-bones

• anticyclones
• allophones
• chaperones
• cobblestones
• cornerstones
• francophones
• gramophones
• hydrophones
• microphones
• overtones
• pheromones
• quinolones