bony

adjective

ˈbō-nē How to pronounce bony (audio)
variants also boney
Definition of bonynext
1
as in skinny
having a noticeably small amount of body fat that bony old horse may have been deliberately starved

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in barren
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation bony hills from which sheepherders eked out a meager existence

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 bony Then stand or sit while bending forward at the waist, pinching the soft part of the nose below the bony portion on both sides for 10 minutes. — Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2023 Riders follow the instructions of Redbeard (given via onboard audio), which include finding and counting gems along the shore, looking out for bony opponents in Skeleton Valley and participating in a seaworthy singalong near the finale. — Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2023 Santiago Calatrava is best known for bridges that leap and budgets that soar, for vast and bony white-steel structures that evoke high-tech ruins of the future and cause fiscal ruin in the present. — Curbed, 6 Dec. 2022 Its bony head armor was more like that of Asian ankyloaurs than ones from North America. — Eric Betz, Discover Magazine, 19 July 2018 See All Example Sentences for bony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bony
  1. skinny
  2. barren
  3. thin
  4. desolate
  5. slender
  6. impoverished
  7. lean
  8. poor
Adjective
  • Viard has also reconnected with Hedi Slimane, whose skinny suits for Dior famously prompted Lagerfeld to lose more than 90 pounds.
    — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Bootcut jeans are the perfect in-between for people like me who find skinny jeans too restricting and wide-leg jeans too baggy.
    — Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of skinny
Adjective
  • Pollinators and birds have found a welcoming haven here, is a spot that was previously barren, rocky ground.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The 80-kilometer stretch between Abu Dhabi and Dubai — a barren expanse of farms, factories, warehouses, and not much else — is now drawing multibillion-dollar property projects.
    — Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of barren
Adjective
  • BioNxt Solutions is developing a sublingual semaglutide thin-film platform and reported moving its program into active pharmaceutical development in 2026.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The launch shows that Innovera can be cut into thin strips and woven without immediately losing its structure.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of thin
Adjective
  • As filmmakers, they were drawn to the unexpected beauty of the desolate, postindustrial landscape.
    — Kim Velsey, Curbed, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Obscenities, the referee’s whistle, and the thud of boots into balls—and sometimes shins—easily carry across these desolate fields.
    — Vanda Mayer, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of desolate
Adjective
  • Use a long, slender trowel to dig a single-occupancy hole, or dig a wide hole to plant a group of bulbs.
    — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026
  • They are designed with slender straps that cross over the foot, creating an elegantly curved shape at the vamp.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of slender
Adjective
  • In the South, Italians were frequently employed in manual labor alongside Black workers, and in the North, Italian and Black neighborhoods—frequently the most impoverished—often abutted each other.
    — Ed Simon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The actors will soon slip into their 1967 costumes as the impoverished Greasers and the privileged Socs — and spend the next two hours hating each other onstage.
    — Jenelle Riley, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of impoverished
Adjective
  • Canned seafood can include lean protein, essential omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DPA, potassium, vitamin B-12, vitamin D, iron and calcium, according to Michelle Dudash, RDN, author of The Low-Carb Mediterranean Cookbook.
    — Jo Ann Liguori, Flow Space, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Our staff sees it as competitive, but most lean toward the NL’s top seed moving on to the Championship Series.
    — The Athletic MLB Staff, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of lean
Adjective
  • Europe is expected to have a particularly poor corn harvest and needs larger imports just as its demand for feed remains high.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Reese is known as a poor shooter, and is often mocked for missing easy shots in games.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of poor

Browse Nearby Words

bon voyages
bony
boo
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Cite this Entry

“Bony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bony. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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