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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective bare differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of bare are bald, barren, naked, and nude. While all these words mean "deprived of naturally or conventionally appropriate covering," bare implies the removal of what is additional, superfluous, ornamental, or dispensable.

an apartment with bare walls

When might bald be a better fit than bare?

The synonyms bald and bare are sometimes interchangeable, but bald implies actual or seeming absence of natural covering and may suggest a conspicuous bareness.

a bald mountain peak

When is it sensible to use barren instead of bare?

The words barren and bare can be used in similar contexts, but barren often suggests aridity or impoverishment or sterility.

barren plains

In what contexts can naked take the place of bare?

While in some cases nearly identical to bare, naked suggests absence of protective or ornamental covering but may imply a state of nature, of destitution, or of defenselessness.

poor half-naked children

Where would nude be a reasonable alternative to bare?

While the synonyms nude and bare are close in meaning, nude applies especially to the unclothed human figure.

a nude model posing for art students

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of bare
Adjective
Wait for cooler weather when the grubs head deeper into the soil, rake up and remove the loose grass, and re-seed to cover bare spots. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 May 2025 Rickson stages both plays with elegant restraint, arranging just a few bits of furniture in front of a bare brick wall. Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 22 May 2025
Verb
But here are two people baring their most intimate moments for our entertainment. Brian Moylan, Vulture, 22 May 2025 At the construction site on my corner, massive athletic gear ads have just been plastered across the green scaffolding shed; all the female models bare their gleaming white smiles while running (can’t relate), happy to be exercising their muscular-but-not-unladylike limbs. Nicola Dall'asen, Allure, 20 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for bare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bare
Adjective
  • Thunder’s star Jalen Williams clocks in at a mere 24 years old.
    Harry Enten, CNN Money, 7 June 2025
  • Los Angeles is now a mere 12 months away from serving as primary host of the World Cup soccer championships, and three years away from taking the world stage as host of both the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.
    Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2025
Adjective
  • In addition to experiencing a surge of sensual energy with greater emphasis on life’s simple pleasures, Venus in Taurus has everything to do with feeling grounded and finding stability in both love and finances.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 5 June 2025
  • White is easy, simple, and many times, the best choice for a clean slate.
    Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • The president’s embrace of Moscow and corresponding pivot away from Europe is pushing the continent to become more independent and leaving its people far more exposed.
    DMYTRO KULEBA, Foreign Affairs, 30 May 2025
  • The ensemble featured a strapless, sculpted black corset top with an exposed zipper.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 21 May 2025
Adjective
  • As always, readers are encouraged to never look directly at the sun with the naked eye, standard sunglasses, or with binoculars/a telescope, as doing so can permanently damage your vision.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 28 May 2025
  • There’s no exact count of how many people fit inside Sahara, but to the naked eye, there appears to be roughly 20,000 people here to see him, with the crowd spilling out of the tent and extending up the adjacent hillside viewing area.
    Katie Bain, Billboard, 28 May 2025
Adjective
  • Banking has become functionally correct but emotionally devoid, with the industry swimming in a sea of sameness.
    Michael Abbott, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Delle, devoid for so long from its intrinsic need for social interaction might be filling in the gaps by talking to himself.
    Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2023
Verb
  • On Wednesday, officials revealed the mother of the girls, Whitney Decker, contacted police on Friday with a civil complaint, saying Decker picked up the daughters at 5 p.m. for a scheduled visitation, but did not return around 10 p.m.
    Megan Forrester, ABC News, 5 June 2025
  • Diary entries written by Luigi Mangione reveal the now 27-year-old’s detailed thinking before the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year, a new court filing shows.
    Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • Its impact on the modern environment is made plain when the geologist protagonist must flee terrible wildfires there.
    Diana Arterian June 5, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025
  • My mom rocked her plain white canvas sneakers through her four years at Michigan State University (that's her in the picture on the day the Olympic torch was run through the MSU campus in 1984).
    Chaunie Brusie, Parents, 2 June 2025
Adjective
  • American retailers cried foul and indicated Santa Claus’s sled would be empty.
    Bruce Yandle, Boston Herald, 1 June 2025
  • Companies that are serious about the future of work know that AI implementation without workforce enablement is an empty investment.
    Sol Rashidi, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Bare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bare. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

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