1
2
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
3
as in inexperienced
lacking in adult experience or maturity
recruiters like to say the military turns raw youths into responsible men and women
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in turbulent
marked by wet and windy conditions
the day of the funeral turned out to be one of those bleak, blustery, raw winter days that was as gloomy as our spirits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in chilling
uncomfortably cool
evenings in those mountains, even during the summer, tend to be a little raw
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
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
7
as in rampant
showing no signs of being under control
a frightening display of raw anger
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in naked
lacking or shed of clothing
a pristine stretch of sand where beachgoers commonly sunbathe raw
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Giovanni Malloy, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
However, the success of Musk, and subsequently Tesla, wasn’t necessarily driven by charisma, luck, or even raw intelligence alone, according to McNeill.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 23 May 2026
Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 13 Jan. 2026
Once the nuts are washed, dried, de-husked and de-shelled, they can either be cooked or prepared raw.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for raw
Adjective
The Indianapolis 500 has always rewarded more than raw speed.
—Giovanni Malloy, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
However, the success of Musk, and subsequently Tesla, wasn’t necessarily driven by charisma, luck, or even raw intelligence alone, according to McNeill.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 23 May 2026
Noun
They can even be blanched or used raw in salads.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 13 Jan. 2026
Once the nuts are washed, dried, de-husked and de-shelled, they can either be cooked or prepared raw.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for raw
Recent Examples of Synonyms for raw
Adjective
-
There’s also an add-on section that offers extras like heat-and-eat breakfast items, prepared lunches, snacks, and extra uncooked proteins.—
Erin Bunch,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 May 2026
-
To make one, grab a clean, thick sock (preferably a larger one) and fill it with uncooked rice, oats, or flaxseed.—
Caroline Lubinsky,
Martha Stewart,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
The team overachieved this season partly because Mazzulla turned an inexperienced supporting cast into a strength.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
Short selling can be an intellectually demanding approach to the market, and many inexperienced traders fall into a trap, lured by overvaluation and hype.—
David Capablanca,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
The collapse of its currency is changing that—placing Jakarta at the center of a turbulent 2026.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
The shutdown adds to a turbulent stretch for Madrigal’s restaurant empire.—
Reeti Malhotra
May 22,
Sacbee.com,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
One year before his television empire began with Yellowstone, Taylor Sheridan wrote and directed this absorbing neo-Western mystery about the chilling death of an 18-year-old Native American young woman.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
-
The coroner’s report is chilling, listing multiple factors besides cardiac arrest that figured in her death.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
Netflix’s big comedy bet might be the Dan Levy–Rachel Sennott co-creation Big Mistakes; the biting, farcical series about adult siblings who get caught up in the drug business plays like Weeds crossed with The Other Two.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
2 May 2026
-
The tracks are more vulnerable, biting, and self-aware than ever, and in some cases, feature lyrics pulled right out of Hjelt’s diary.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In it, a Native Hawaiian family struggles to reclaim the ancestral lands that colonization, tourism, and rampant development threaten to overrun.—
Gabrielle Bellot,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
-
Something, anything to break the spell of poor play, bad luck and rampant injuries that have threatened to sink a once-promising season into the dirt.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
The International Esperanto Naturist Organization showered passersby with pamphlets featuring stock photos of aspirationally fit, naked bodies.—
Katie Thornton,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
-
The scene took a second and its thanks to slow motion that Rahul Lakhmani was able to capture the moment, which would be impossible to see with a naked eye.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
The Swedish Film Institute’s Cinemateket, meanwhile, hosted Svenska Synden – a retrospective examining how Swedish cinema’s permissive approach to nudity and sexuality became an international phenomenon that alarmed censors around the world.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 May 2026
-
In other corners, opinions ran hot about rampant nudity in the Austrian Pavilion.—
Sebastian Smee,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Raw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raw. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
