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

In somewhat bare-bones, cozy settings, Red Lobster became a middle-class family destination, and was welcoming to Black customers at a time when segregation, while outlawed, was still common in much of the American South. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026

The Iranian government has been forced to implement sweeping cost-cutting measures, which were reflected in Pezeshkian’s bare-bones visit. — Robin Wright, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026

Plural noun

This isn’t a bare bones pair of gym buds that lets every train rattle through. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026

Its bare bones prose and electrifying pictures preserve, honor and celebrate the people, places and ideas responsible for Rosales’ sentimental education. — Myriam Gurba, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 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