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
  • That resulted in much of the cast wearing blazers, trousers and loafers — anything that could create an angular feel.
    Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2025
  • With its angular frame and rattan detailing, this dresser has enough midcentury-modern charm to appeal to retro design lovers.
    Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The slender aspens unfurl golden banners against the dark wall of evergreens.
    Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The shoes featured a scalloped toe box in a pale pink hue, offset by gold slingback straps and slender matching heels.
    Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Much of this momentum traces back to China’s DeepSeek, whose lean, low-cost models upended industry assumptions at the beginning of this year and kicked off a race to make AI smaller, faster, and smarter.
    Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Atkins, who joined Dhar Mann Studios in 2024 and previously headed MTV as well as worked as chief digital officer at Discovery, said the banner has also thrived by having lean operations.
    Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The device, about the size of a hockey puck, is filled with blood and hangs from his skinny frame.
    Elissa Nadworny, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
  • The scarf collage tops and skinny pants from Celine.
    Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 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
  • This process transformed the plastic into porous carbon powder, which was then combined with carbon black and a polymer binder to form thin electrode layers.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Dry the nuts in a thin layer, then remove the husks wearing gloves.
    Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 9 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rawboned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rawboned. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

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