rawboned

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective rawboned contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of rawboned are gaunt, lanky, lank, lean, scrawny, skinny, and spare. While all these words mean "thin because of an absence of excess flesh," rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.

a rawboned farmer

When might gaunt be a better fit than rawboned?

While the synonyms gaunt and rawboned are close in meaning, gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.

a prisoner's gaunt face

When is it sensible to use lank instead of rawboned?

The words lank and rawboned are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, lank implies tallness as well as leanness.

the lank legs of the heron

When can lanky be used instead of rawboned?

In some situations, the words lanky and rawboned are roughly equivalent. However, lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.

a lanky youth, all arms and legs

When could lean be used to replace rawboned?

Although the words lean and rawboned have much in common, lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.

a lean racehorse

How do scrawny and skinny relate to one another, in the sense of rawboned?

Both scrawny and skinny imply an extreme leanness that suggests deficient strength and vitality.

a scrawny chicken
skinny street urchins

When is spare a more appropriate choice than rawboned?

While in some cases nearly identical to rawboned, spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

the gymnast's spare figure

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 rawboned Mitsouko softened Chypre’s rawboned extremes, imparting a creamy peach glow to the whole. Noy Thrupkaew, Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2021 Kirschling, a rawboned young man from Wisconsin, had written a master’s thesis at Columbia about long-term productivity decline in New York City’s mass transit. William Finnegan, The New Yorker, 2 July 2018 Like so many in Lincoln Heights, this tiny, rawboned 89-year-old woman had lived through a time of gang violence, high crime and police oppression. Brittny Mejia, Joe Mozingo, www.latimes.com, 3 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rawboned
Adjective
  • Body gua shas tend to be bigger and have more angular or ridged builds that feel great on your arms, legs, and torso but might be too harsh on your face.
    Allure, Allure, 14 Apr. 2025
  • While the dramatic cat-eye is ideal for balancing out the features in a rounder face, square or heart-shaped face shapes might opt for a less angular pair with softer edges, like this Ray-Ban pair.
    Jené Luciani Sena, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The animals have longer beaks, a more slender build and more distinctive dorsal fins than common bottlenose dolphins, according to Whale and Dolphin Conservation, a nonprofit.
    Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 8 May 2025
  • According to the Mayo Clinic, the disease begins in the slender tubes that carry digestive bile and is associated with symptoms like abdominal pain, fatigue, fever and night sweats.
    Jordan Greene, People.com, 2 May 2025
Adjective
  • When looking for lean poultry, opt for boneless, skinless chicken breasts and turkey cutlets.7 5.
    Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 9 May 2025
  • Though Malkmus has maintained much of his lean, boyish West Coast cool, even edging toward late middle age, the quintet looks older and wiser, no longer burdened by their uncomfortable relationship with success.
    Scott Tobias, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
Adjective
  • She was dressed for vacation in a sheer white long sleeve mini dress and slides, while the realtor wore a casual travel-day combo of skinny jeans, a white t-shirt and sneakers.
    Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 13 May 2025
  • Ball is too inattentive on that end despite his impressive offensive skill set, and Miller is quite skinny and struggles to wall up on opposing guards and wings through his core.
    Sam Vecenie, New York Times, 12 May 2025
Adjective
  • Lift your hips off the ground and place a block underneath your sacrum, the widest, boniest part of your pelvis.
    Cory Martin, Verywell Health, 16 Oct. 2024
  • Differences in Adult Bones That being said, some adults are bonier than others.
    Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 3 Nov. 2023
Adjective
  • Your doctor may want to use a laryngoscope, a camera on a thin tube placed down your throat, to examine your voice box and determine if postnasal drip or something else is causing your symptoms, Cho says.
    Sarah Klein, Time, 13 May 2025
  • The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 13 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rawboned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rawboned. Accessed 21 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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