raw 1 of 2

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as in crude
being such as found in nature and not altered by processing or refining raw sugar is honey-colored because the crystals retain cane juices, minerals, and other impurities that haven't been refined out

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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as in biting
causing intense discomfort to one's skin bundle up if you're going sailing, as there's a raw wind out there in the bay

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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raw

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noun

as in nudity
the state of having no clothes on one's body a secluded swimming hole where we could swim in the raw

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective raw differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of raw are crude, rough, and rude. While all these words mean "lacking in social refinement," raw suggests being untested, inexperienced, or unfinished.

turning raw youths into polished performers

When might crude be a better fit than raw?

The words crude and raw can be used in similar contexts, but crude may apply to thought or behavior limited to the gross, the obvious, or the primitive.

a crude joke

When could rough be used to replace raw?

The meanings of rough and raw largely overlap; however, rough is likely to stress lack of polish and gentleness.

rough manners

When is rude a more appropriate choice than raw?

The words rude and raw are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, rude implies ignorance of or indifference to good form; it may suggest intentional discourtesy.

rude behavior

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 raw
Adjective
Questions remain over whether his talent is enough to compensate for his minimal off-ball work, but the 26-year-old’s raw goalscoring numbers last season were nothing short of remarkable. Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025 After handling raw chicken, an employee refused to wash his hands in the handwashing sink, instead of the prep sink. Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2025
Noun
If ingested raw, pathogens may remain on the surface of the placenta. Marley Dewey, The Conversation, 16 May 2025 These ones turn out amazing—topped with sugar in the raw. Bon Appétit Contributor, Bon Appétit, 22 Mar. 2024 See All Example Sentences for raw
Recent Examples of Synonyms for raw
Adjective
  • Chagas can be spread through blood transfusion, organ transplants, consuming uncooked food contaminated with feces from infected bugs, accidental exposure in a lab and from pregnant women to their babies.
    Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 9 Sep. 2025
  • After all is said and done, Deen’s story still feels slightly uncooked.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The two firms are also considering building an oil pipeline and storage facility in Oman to help boost Iraq’s crude exports.
    Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • That prompted a frustrated Webex engineer, Eric Yuan, to quit and start Zoom, which is why WebEx looks like a crude prototype of what Zoom became.
    Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Clearly frustrated, Palencia gave up five runs and recorded zero outs during the ninth inning of that 6-3 loss to the Washington Nationals, a last-place team with a largely inexperienced and nondescript lineup.
    Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Having won five straight Ryder Cups and 12 of the last 13, the American team entered as the heavy favorite despite fielding a relatively inexperienced squad.
    Tim Corlett, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • That's up 16% from 512,000 savers who broke into seven digits on their 401(k) statements in the first quarter's turbulent market.
    Susan Tompor, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The verdict was the final of three judgements against the powerful Shinawatra family, which has dominated Thailand’s turbulent and often violent political scene for more than 20 years.
    Helen Regan, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The vitriol levied at uninvolved lawmakers since Wednesday's shooting has had a chilling effect on the American tradition of lawmakers' community engagement — as well as the open debate and political discourse Kirk himself espoused.
    Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The celebratory reaction to Charlie's assassination across swaths of left-wing social media was also positively chilling.
    Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The characters have this sharp, biting, British humor.
    Alex Ritman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
  • There’s Bud the biting cat, played by a feline named Tonic and who deserves a three-picture deal.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • This rampant, unauthorized AI use degrades the educational experience of individual students who overly rely on the technology and those who wish to avoid using it.
    Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Speculation remains rampant that those three ACC schools will leave that league before the end of this decade for the SEC or Big Ten.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Just a few hours later, Dakota Johnson served up another naked dress inspiration at the Kering Foundation's Caring for Women dinner in New York City.
    Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The Bortle scale is a numerical scale that ranges from one to nine, with one being an excellent dark sky site with no light pollution and nine being an area with considerable light pollution and many night sky objects invisible to the naked eye.
    Harry Bennett, Space.com, 11 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Raw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raw. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

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