: 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
Mick Krever, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
In fact, this bare-bones port lacks the original games' multiplayer modes.
—PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025
Ben Morse, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
The season ends on a cliffhanger, a choice that’s both frustrating but at least portends a seemingly inevitable second installment that can elaborate on what’s initially left bare bones.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bare-bones
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Adjective
Much of it is relatively functional – insofar as clients pay several hundred dollars to be transported in bare-bones conditions to Libya’s coast, and onto an overcrowded inflatable dingy bound for Italy or Greece.
—Mick Krever, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
In fact, this bare-bones port lacks the original games' multiplayer modes.
—PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025
Plural noun
And with the roster down to its bare bones, the Ravens have struggled, falling to 2-5 and their playoff hopes hanging by a thread.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
The season ends on a cliffhanger, a choice that’s both frustrating but at least portends a seemingly inevitable second installment that can elaborate on what’s initially left bare bones.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025
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 13 Nov. 2025.
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