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
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3
as in inexperienced
lacking in adult experience or maturity
recruiters like to say the military turns raw youths into responsible men and women
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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
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5
as in chilling
uncomfortably cool
evenings in those mountains, even during the summer, tend to be a little raw
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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
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7
as in rampant
showing no signs of being under control
a frightening display of raw anger
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8
as in naked
lacking or shed of clothing
a pristine stretch of sand where beachgoers commonly sunbathe raw
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as in nudity
the state of having no clothes on one's body
a secluded swimming hole where we could swim in the raw
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of raw
Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
The injury — raw, oozing, angry — had turned our lives upside down, but it was rendered invisible in the institutional review.
—Nisha Narayanan, STAT, 5 June 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
His newest offering, a book of essays titled Inspiration Porn, out now, is his rawest, funniest work yet.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
The injury — raw, oozing, angry — had turned our lives upside down, but it was rendered invisible in the institutional review.
—Nisha Narayanan, STAT, 5 June 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
-
Cooked and uncooked shellfish — including their juices — should be kept separate to avoid contamination.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
1 June 2026
-
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
Adjective
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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
-
Getty Images The Philadelphia Phillies have spent the last several weeks playing like a club determined to erase the disappointment of a turbulent first half.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
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As the investigation progresses in this four-part docuseries, Stephen reveals the turbulent family dynamics that shaped his childhood, including his father Ron — a violent Vietnam War vet grappling with PTSD — and his mother, Margie, who divorced Ron in the '90s.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Add crushed ice about halfway up and give a brief stir or swizzle, five to eight seconds, to begin the chilling process.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
6 June 2026
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The attack comes as the NYPD investigates a troubling string of chilling assaults against older New Yorkers.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
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There is a lot of time left in the offseason and the rush to blow small developments or highlights out of proportion this time of year runs rampant across the league.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
3 June 2026
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In it, however, Martin Bech Holte, an economist and former head of the consultancy firm McKinsey in Norway, did not suggest curbing rampant levels of inequality — recently reported to be at 1912 levels — or otherwise restore the country to some social democratic golden age.—
Ola Morris Innset,
The Dial,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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Putting Rue’s apolitical faith in nationalist terms for the show’s closing image reads like one last thumbing of the nose that butts up against the season’s occasional naked sincerity.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
1 June 2026
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Soon, the outline of the Milky Way could be seen by the naked eye.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Sam Levinson wasn't originally planning on including nudity for Sydney Sweeney's character in the third season of Euphoria.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
1 June 2026
-
Penland would eventually flag eighty out of the script’s hundred and twenty pages for material that alarmed him, ranging from nudity to events in the film that are not in the Gospels.—
Isaac Butler,
New Yorker,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Raw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raw. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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