: 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
Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 10 July 2025
In late April, Indiana's Republican supermajority approved a bare-bones state budget that included a last-minute measure to strip $7.4 million from Indiana Public Broadcasting.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 8 July 2025
Mackensy Lunsford, The Tennessean, 14 Nov. 2024
Wan’s ice cream bar is purposefully bare bones—a single counter with stainless steel wells holding a rotation of limited-run flavors.
—Clarissa Wei, AFAR Media, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for bare-bones
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Adjective
Airlines spent years slicing up their coach cabins, from extra legroom seats to bare-bones basic economy fares that don't allow changes or include a seat assignment.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 10 July 2025
In late April, Indiana's Republican supermajority approved a bare-bones state budget that included a last-minute measure to strip $7.4 million from Indiana Public Broadcasting.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 8 July 2025
Plural noun
Though the indoor dining room is a bit bare bones, the patio attached to the food truck kitchen is a welcoming oasis off a busy South Nashville strip.
—Mackensy Lunsford, The Tennessean, 14 Nov. 2024
Wan’s ice cream bar is purposefully bare bones—a single counter with stainless steel wells holding a rotation of limited-run flavors.
—Clarissa Wei, AFAR Media, 13 May 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 21 Jul. 2025.
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