bark·less
ˈbärk-ləs 
of a dog
: marked by the absence of or inability to produce barking sounds : lacking a bark
When I was growing up, I had read a children's book where the family had a couple of these dogs and I had been fascinated by the fact that they were barkless.—
Linda M. Howard
Linda M. HowardThe dog … was a basenji—a rare breed also known as "the barkless dog of the Congo."—Pat Cahill
Pat Cahill
of a woody plant or plant part
: lacking bark
… cavorting on the barkless cantilevered trunk of a dead tree …—Jay Jacobs
Jay JacobsThe river was full of logs—long, slender, barkless pine logs—and we leaned on the rails of the bridge, and watched the men put them together into rafts.—Mark Twain
Mark TwainCite this Entry
“Barkless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barkless. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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