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

Unlike most bare-bones seafood shacks, there’s real table service here, with smiling, friendly servers, to boot. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2026

Technically, the area around the factory was unincorporated land, but workers and their families settled there in bare-bones housing, often without indoor plumbing, and came into Mancelona to attend school or buy groceries. — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026

Plural noun

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

Equally important, the stage design is wonderfully bare bones, maximizing the main selling point of this space — the majestic views of the woods and hills in the background. — Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 6 June 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