bonito

noun

bo·​ni·​to bə-ˈnē-(ˌ)tō  -ˈnē-tə 

plural bonitos or bonito

1

: any of several swift-swimming scombroid fishes (genus Sarda) that are typically dark blue to bluish-green with dark stripes and a silvery belly, that are intermediate in size between the related mackerel and tuna, and that are valued as food and sport fishes

… the Atlantic bonito not only strikes hard …, the fish is also excellent table fare.

—Star-News (Wilmington, North Carolina)

Pacific bonito are related to tuna and can grow to 20 pounds.

—Allen Bushnell

also : a closely related fish (such as a dogtooth tuna or little tunny)

2

: skipjack tuna

For tuna—bluefin … and bonito—the fishermen … would drag a net between two boats …

—Mark Kurlansky

My mother adopted the habit of offering as a condiment dried bonito flakes …

—Corby Kummer

Examples of bonito in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Stirred with a little garlic, butter and fishy bonito flakes, everything but the skin of the squash is served with the cavatelli and topped with anchovies, lemon zest and drizzled herb oil that add acidity and fragrance to the savory sauce. —Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 12 Aug. 2025

In all, Wyant caught a hundred and forty-five pounds of fish—Spanish mackerel, tuna, bonito, and mahi-mahi. —Adam Iscoe, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025

As the boat crescendoed over waves, seagulls screamed in chase, and the captain made radar promises over the loudspeaker: bass, bonito and sculpin — or at the very least, mackerel and pelicans. —Jacqueline Carr, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2025

Off the coast of Veracruz, Mexico, fishermen attached hunks of bonito fish to a longline and dropped it in the water. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 10 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from bonito pretty, diminutive of bueno good, from Latin bonus

First Known Use

1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bonito

• burrito
• capito
• mosquito
• negrito
• incognito
• peto
• veto

Kids Definition

bonito

noun

bo·​ni·​to bə-ˈnēt-ō 

-ˈnēt-ə

plural bonitos or bonito

: any of various medium-sized tunas