: 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 WebEvan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 26 June 2024
Difference-in-conditions policies, which cover losses that aren’t included under a bare-bones insurance plan, are an option, but add complexity.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 21 June 2024
For Carroll County Times, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2024
The supper menus are bare bones, straightforward cooking centered around specific farms.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for bare-bones 
Adjective
Mulligan’s bare-bones budget puts off $5 billion in system expansion, a figure that includes grants from Phase 2 of the Second Ave. subway.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 26 June 2024
Difference-in-conditions policies, which cover losses that aren’t included under a bare-bones insurance plan, are an option, but add complexity.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 21 June 2024
Plural noun
As to the budget being bare bones and reflecting their needs, that, too, is just not true.
—For Carroll County Times, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2024
The supper menus are bare bones, straightforward cooking centered around specific farms.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for bare-bones
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bare-bones.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bare-bones
Cite this Entry
“Bare-bones.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bare-bones. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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