variants
also boney
1
as in skinny
having a noticeably small amount of body fat
that bony old horse may have been deliberately starved
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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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
There are two types of fish, cartilaginous and bony.
—Orlando Mayorquin, USA TODAY, 21 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for bony
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
There are two types of fish, cartilaginous and bony.
—Orlando Mayorquin, USA TODAY, 21 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for bony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bony
Adjective
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The actress and singer modeled a gray pinstriped set including skinny trousers and a sleeveless top which narrowed at the waist and was accented by a thin belt.—
Jaden Thompson,
Footwear News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
As Kenneth enjoys a last skinny dip in the indoor pool, Geert makes some inquiries about flights to countries with no extradition treaties to Belgium.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The few remaining individuals live in barren, rugged terrain at high elevations.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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In other games during the barren run, chances have been created and squandered.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
To remove the wax, wipe out softened wax with paper towels, add cotton balls to absorb the liquid wax, or let the wax harden and remove it by popping it out with a thin plastic spatula.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
16 Feb. 2026
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The procedure uses a thin, flexible catheter introduced through a small incision in the femoral artery near the groin.—
MemorialCare,
Oc Register,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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While Scarry’s books present such catastrophes with bright colors and good humor, Gomez undermines this cheer by superimposing on the mural a nearly all-black painting of a desolate tent encampment in front of a home destroyed by the Eaton fire.—
Sharon Mizota,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
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The clash of beauty and filth is well suited for Brontë’s desolate tale of romance in a tempestuous climate, where Cathy is constantly caught between Victorian propriety and her baser, wilder nature.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This dwarf variety produces slender, upright branches that, if left unpruned, put forth a graceful weeping habit.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
16 Feb. 2026
-
There’s a slender streak of humor, dry and combustible as kindling, in the film’s exploration of this absurd domestic setup, which lays out the rigid expectations of women and men alike in a punishingly conservative society.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This village near the Swiss border has had sales tax exemptions since medieval times, which allowed the impoverished, cut-off area to bring in goods.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 Feb. 2026
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An education advocate, Jackson founded the PUSH/Excel program to motivate Black and impoverished students to achieve excellence through schooling.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Garten's recipe calls for 81% lean ground chuck, which keeps the dish from being too fatty.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
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Bélanger notes that most midlife women benefit from aiming for about 25 to 35 grams of protein per meal, and choosing meals in that range consistently helps support lean mass and metabolic health.—
Rita Templeton,
Flow Space,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Policymakers globally are increasingly worried that the unequal adoption of AI risks widening income and development gaps between rich and poor countries.—
Hanna Ziady,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
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In November, Jesse Jackon was hospitalized again after suffering a fall while protesting poor campus living conditions with students at Howard University.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bony. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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