bare-bones

adjective

Definition of bare-bonesnext
as in sparse
including only what is most basic or needed a bare-bones website a bare-bones wedding ceremony The hotel rooms are bare-bones.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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-bones Now, Comfrt has a core network of 500 content creators who make videos about the brand, and its bare-bones operation has grown to 140 full-time employees on payroll. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2026 Last season, Carrick had the unenviable task of divvying up minutes across a bare-bones schedule. — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026 Together with engineer Dirk MacLeod, in 2015 Nakogee began hashing out the details of a bare-bones version of the system. — IEEE Spectrum, 30 July 2026 John Cusack is proud that his latest project is the work of a bare-bones crew. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for bare-bones
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bare-bones
  1. sparse
  2. mere
  3. short
  4. minimal
Adjective
  • But banking on him is also a risk given his poor performance earlier this season, and the sparse starting depth behind him.
    — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • In the warm, nutrient-poor waters of the central Pacific where food is sparse, atolls are like bustling cafés.
    — NPR, NPR, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of sparse
Adjective
  • Video from his dash camera shows the aircraft gliding under a highway sign, missing it by mere feet, before touching down in the empty lanes.
    — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • In his music, Belafonte sought to honor his Caribbean heritage—he was born in Harlem to Jamaican parents in 1927—without being reduced to a mere exotic persona.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of mere
Adjective
  • The Duchess of Sussex paired her polished bottoms with a tan, lightweight short-sleeve sweater and added an understated pop of color with purple suede loafers.
    — Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The Nobel Prize Museum, National Museum, and Royal Palace are all within a short walk, as are many great restaurants.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of short
Adjective
  • While born on the road and in the big rooms, much of Pure Devotion stems from retreats to small studios in Iceland and Spain, writing on a minimal setup of a couple of synths and an FX unit.
    — Will Pritchard, Pitchfork, 8 Aug. 2026
  • ThinkBook designs often have longer key travel to facilitate more accurate and responsive typing, but here the keys appear very flat, suggesting the key travel will be minimal.
    — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of minimal

Browse Nearby Words

bare
bare-bones
bared
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bare-bones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bare-bones. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of anecdote

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All