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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of raw
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 4 Apr. 2026
Several roaches were found around the cook line, raw chicken was stored above tofu in the reach-in cooler and there was food debris on some of the equipment.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Apr. 2026
Mark Sutherland, Variety, 4 July 2025
Lina is played by the ghoulishly-great Betty Gilpin, who does in her craft what real-life Lina does in her soul—glitter in the raw.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for raw
Adjective
These things don’t get more raw or real than Auriemma’s eruption with ESPN’s Holly Rowe as the third quarter ended Friday night in Phoenix.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 4 Apr. 2026
Several roaches were found around the cook line, raw chicken was stored above tofu in the reach-in cooler and there was food debris on some of the equipment.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Apr. 2026
Noun
This, then, was Oasis in the raw, a throwback to their unstoppable ascent in much smaller venues than this rather than the enormo-dome gigs of their latter years.
—Mark Sutherland, Variety, 4 July 2025
Lina is played by the ghoulishly-great Betty Gilpin, who does in her craft what real-life Lina does in her soul—glitter in the raw.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for raw
Recent Examples of Synonyms for raw
Adjective
-
Some people prefer the uncooked version of the vegetable.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The price of uncooked ground beef has increased about 15% since February 2025, according to the CPI data.—
Greg Iacurci,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Steve Ponto said his daughter means well, but is inexperienced and especially passionate.—
Bridget Fogarty,
jsonline.com,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Messi went in as a halftime substitute in the 2-1 victory over Mauritania on March 27, a result against an inexperienced opponent that did not sit well with Scaloni.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In his first novel, Il salto con le aste (1989), Domenico Starnone presented two young boys determined to escape their turbulent Neapolitan backgrounds and assert themselves as free spirits and writers in the wider world.—
Tim Parks,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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Soaring food and energy costs related to world conflicts, post-pandemic labor shortages, and consumers skittish about spending in this turbulent economy have become huge challenges for restaurateurs, Guez says.—
Vivian Song,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
As a chilling rain started to fall, the group marched to the memorial for Renee Good, the mother shot to death in her vehicle by an ICE agent.—
Jeff Wagner,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
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Despite this exemption, the bill is sure to have a chilling effect on health care, Ziegler said.—
SOPHIA PAFFENROTH,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Much like the days getting longer and the air less biting, a sure harbinger that spring is coming is the 33rd annual West Suburban Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Naperville.—
Annie Alleman,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
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As the nation bonded as one over the past two weeks biting nails, screaming at wins, wincing at crashes and choking up at all the beautiful moments of Olympic competition, another group of athletes were – and still are – out honing their multi-level championship skills.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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One of the biggest issues facing Wall Street and the nation recently is how long the rampant enthusiasm over artificial intelligence will last.—
Kaitlin McCallum,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Ahead of the challenge, the players met at a beach and read a note instructing them to find an advantage that would grant one player power, leading to an immediate and rampant scramble through the island.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
As Barber fell to the canvas, Grasso put her in a rear naked chokehold before the fight was quickly called.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
31 Mar. 2026
-
In spite of a seismic crossing of the technological Rubicon, an abandonment of the centuries-old deference to the naked eye, a codifying and calcifying of the most atomic-level building block of the sport, baseball mostly just looked like baseball.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Instead of explicit nudity, the film rests on stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi to deliver the heady energy.—
Emily Maskell,
IndieWire,
3 Apr. 2026
-
An easy comparison with the version available concurrently on PPOV showed the omission of Sidney Sweeney’s partial nudity in the steamy scenes that helped turn Paul Feig’s rebooting of the 1990s erotic thriller into one of the year’s megahits.—
Gustavo Turner,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Raw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/raw. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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