: including only what is most basic or necessary
a bare-bones email program
Skyscrapers of steel hung with curtain walls of glass, these sleek buildings were impressive monuments to bare-bones architectural integrity.—
C. A. Mills
C. A. Mills
: the barest essentials, facts, or elements
the bare bones of her life
Examples of bare-bones in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2025
Acknowledging this failure, the NSO now distributes a basic one-page bare-bones list of the evening’s music, but that in no way substitutes for the music and artist notes in a full program.
—Marty McBroom, Baltimore Sun, 7 Apr. 2025
Marcus J. Moore, Time, 9 Apr. 2025
To this crew, almost no amount of demolition is too much, since their endgame is a bare bones, federal government taking its solely from the president.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bare-bones
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.
Adjective
Despite its extreme performance, though, this isn’t a bare-bones track weapon.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2025
Acknowledging this failure, the NSO now distributes a basic one-page bare-bones list of the evening’s music, but that in no way substitutes for the music and artist notes in a full program.
—Marty McBroom, Baltimore Sun, 7 Apr. 2025
Plural noun
Where other popular songs felt oversized and celebratory, Legend’s tune was bare bones, just raw vocals and real talk about the perils of romantic love.
—Marcus J. Moore, Time, 9 Apr. 2025
To this crew, almost no amount of demolition is too much, since their endgame is a bare bones, federal government taking its solely from the president.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bare-bones
Cite this Entry
“Bare-bones.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bare-bones. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share