Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

bare

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of bare

1 being this and no more
  • impoverished people who can no longer afford the bare necessities
Synonyms of bare

mere, very
Words Related to bare

absolute, all-out, arrant, out-and-out, outright, pure, sheer, simple, stark, total, unadulterated, unalloyed, unmitigated, unqualified, utter

alone, lone, only, singular, sole, solitary, solo, unique
2 free from all additions or embellishment
  • do you want to know the bare truth?
Synonyms of bare

bald, naked, plain, plain-vanilla, simple, unadorned, undecorated, unembellished, unornamented, unvarnished
Words Related to bare

denuded, divested, stripped

au naturel, earthy, elemental, homely, natural, unsophisticated

forthright, honest, modest, unpretentious

clean

antiseptic, austere, bleak, severe, spartan, stark

minimalist

inconspicuous, muted, restrained, sober, subdued, toned (down), unobtrusive

conservative, quiet, understated
Near Antonyms of bare

flamboyant, flashy, garish, gaudy, glittery, glitzy, loud, ostentatious, showy, splashy, swank (or swanky), tawdry

bedizened, florid, lurid, ornate

exaggerated, overdecorated, overdone, overwrought

baroque, elaborate, extravagant, ornate, rococo

appareled (or apparelled), arrayed, bedecked, decked-out, dressed, embroidered, garnished, trimmed
Antonyms of bare

adorned, decorated, embellished, fancy, ornamented
3 lacking a usual or natural covering
  • the ground was bare, without a trace of grass
Synonyms of bare

bald, denuded, exposed, naked, open, peeled, stripped, uncovered
Words Related to bare

displayed, revealed

hairless, shaven

disrobed, unclad, unclothed, undressed

furless, skinned

divested

unprotected
Near Antonyms of bare

mantled

overgrown, overrun, overspread

bearded, hairy
Antonyms of bare

covered
4 lacking or shed of clothing
  • the toddler liked to run around bare
Synonyms of bare

au naturel, bottomless, disrobed, mother-naked, naked, nude, raw, starkers [chiefly British], stripped, unclad, unclothed, undressed
Words Related to bare

seminude, topless

denuded, peeled

unveiled
Phrases Synonymous with bare

in the altogether (or the buff), stark naked
Near Antonyms of bare

covered, veiled

arrayed, caparisoned, decked (out), rigged (out), tricked (out)

vested

decent
Antonyms of bare

appareled (or apparelled), attired, clad, clothed, dressed, garbed, invested, robed, suited
5 lacking contents that could or should be present
  • the cupboard was bare—not a thing to eat
Synonyms of bare

blank, clean, devoid, empty, stark, toom [chiefly Scottish], vacant, vacuous, void
Words Related to bare

barren, hollow

available, clear, free, open

unfilled, unfurnished

unattended, uninhabited, unoccupied

abandoned, deserted, emptied, forsaken, vacated

depleted, drained, dry, exhausted
Near Antonyms of bare

complete

replete

furnished, provided, supplied

filled, occupied

flush, overflowing, packed, teeming
Antonyms of bare

full
6 utterly lacking in something needed, wanted, or expected
  • the cupboard was bare of baking supplies
Synonyms of bare

bankrupt, barren, bereft, destitute, devoid, void
Words Related to bare

blank, empty, innocent, stark, vacant, wanting

deficient, fragmental, fragmentary, incomplete, insufficient, partial, short

absent, missing
Near Antonyms of bare

furnished, provided, supplied

brimming, bulging, bursting, chock-full (or chockful), crammed, crowded, fat, jammed, jam-packed, loaded, packed, saturated, stuffed

abounding, swarming, teeming, thick, thronging
Antonyms of bare

filled, flush, fraught, full, replete, rife

Synonym Discussion of bare

bare, naked, nude, bald, barren 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
naked suggests absence of protective or ornamental covering but may imply a state of nature, of destitution, or of defenselessness.
    • poor half-naked children
nude applies especially to the unclothed human figure.
    • a nude model posing for art students
bald implies actual or seeming absence of natural covering and may suggest a conspicuous bareness.
    • a bald mountain peak
barren often suggests aridity or impoverishment or sterility.
    • barren plains

bare

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of bare

to make known (as information previously kept secret)
  • finally bared the secret that she had kept to herself for so long
Synonyms of bare

disclose, discover, divulge, expose, let on (about), reveal, spill, tell, unbosom, uncloak, uncover, unmask, unveil
Words Related to bare

confide, share

debunk, show up

unclothe, undrape

advertise, announce, blaze, bring out, broadcast, declare, placard, post, proclaim, promulgate, publicize, publish, sound

betray, blab, give away, leak

inform, squeal, talk

communicate, impart, relate

acknowledge, admit, avow, concede, confess, own

disinter, rake up, smoke out, unearth
Phrases Synonymous with bare

bring to light, go public (with), let the cat out of the bag (about), spill the beans (about)
Near Antonyms of bare

camouflage, disguise

gild, gloss (over), varnish, whitewash

becloud, bedim, befog, cloud, darken, eclipse, obscure, overcast, overshadow, shade
Antonyms of bare

cloak, conceal, cover (up), enshroud, hide, mask, shroud, veil

Learn More about bare

  1. See words that rhyme with bare Dictionary: Definition of bare Spanish Central: Translation of bare Nglish: Translation of bare for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of bare for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up bare? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

chockablock

very full or close together

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. crosshair Roger Stone posts controversial photo

  2. feckless Former RNC chair derides Trump

  3. emergency, national emergency Trump declares crisis over wall

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games