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.
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Recent Examples of bare-bones
Vast is determined to launch a bare-bones station to orbit as soon as possible, with or without federal input, according to the company.
—
Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
By Todd Woody, Bloomberg As another wildfire season looms, insurance companies have abandoned some California neighborhoods at lower risk of burning, forcing tens of thousands of homeowners to obtain bare-bones coverage from the state’s insurer of last resort.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
In Ray’s bare-bones house, spotless and white and lacking any of the familiar comforts that make Colin’s life with his parents so cozy, there is a guy who reads contemporary auto-fiction who needs little reading glasses to do so.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
The old studio theater had a bare-bones lobby that could only be described as functional, with a temporary bar.
—Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bare-bones
Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
By Todd Woody, Bloomberg As another wildfire season looms, insurance companies have abandoned some California neighborhoods at lower risk of burning, forcing tens of thousands of homeowners to obtain bare-bones coverage from the state’s insurer of last resort.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
In Ray’s bare-bones house, spotless and white and lacking any of the familiar comforts that make Colin’s life with his parents so cozy, there is a guy who reads contemporary auto-fiction who needs little reading glasses to do so.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
The old studio theater had a bare-bones lobby that could only be described as functional, with a temporary bar.
—Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bare-bones
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bare-bones
Adjective
-
The evidence in favor of many other unapproved peptides is even sparser.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The options were sparse against the favorite for defensive player of the year honors.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Who once misfit the eye as mere prosperity, the glare that causes objects.—
Timmy Straw,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Maybe the mere fact of having been born illustrious, with no apparent faults, with nothing to prove or to be ashamed of, had liberated John from the resentments the rest of us feel, and from the cunning and ambition such resentments fuel.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
UConn's hopes at becoming the first team since John Wooden's UCLA dynasty to win three titles in four seasons came up short, done in by massive foul trouble and its own terrible shooting.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The Waterfront Park and pier are short blocks away, as are multiple churches, historic house tours, museums, the Gibbes art collection, and King Street retail shopping.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The concentrated, weightless formula gives full coverage with minimal product for the most natural-looking finish.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Hazing findings heavily redacted In years past, the university has responded to open records requests by furnishing investigative documents related to hazing findings with minimal redactions.—
Matthew Kelly
April 6,
Kansas City Star,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bare-bones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bare-bones. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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