: 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
PC Magazine, 21 May 2025
While there are several accommodations in the national park, traditional lodgings here were bare-bones mountain huts intentionally designed for discomfort for religious reasons.
—Olivia Young, AFAR Media, 20 May 2025
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
Where other popular songs felt oversized and celebratory, Legend’s tune was bare bones, just raw vocals and real talk about the perils of romantic love.
—Marcus J. Moore, Time, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bare-bones
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
As a bare-bones gaming chair, the Novis doesn't have many adjustments.
—PC Magazine, 21 May 2025
While there are several accommodations in the national park, traditional lodgings here were bare-bones mountain huts intentionally designed for discomfort for religious reasons.
—Olivia Young, AFAR Media, 20 May 2025
Plural noun
One method suggests stripping out portions of the AI's internal structure and leaving just bare bones.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
Where other popular songs felt oversized and celebratory, Legend’s tune was bare bones, just raw vocals and real talk about the perils of romantic love.
—Marcus J. Moore, Time, 9 Apr. 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 6 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share