rawboned

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective rawboned contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of rawboned are gaunt, lanky, lank, lean, scrawny, skinny, and spare. While all these words mean "thin because of an absence of excess flesh," rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.

a rawboned farmer

When might gaunt be a better fit than rawboned?

While the synonyms gaunt and rawboned are close in meaning, gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.

a prisoner's gaunt face

When is it sensible to use lank instead of rawboned?

The words lank and rawboned are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, lank implies tallness as well as leanness.

the lank legs of the heron

When can lanky be used instead of rawboned?

In some situations, the words lanky and rawboned are roughly equivalent. However, lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.

a lanky youth, all arms and legs

When could lean be used to replace rawboned?

Although the words lean and rawboned have much in common, lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.

a lean racehorse

How do scrawny and skinny relate to one another, in the sense of rawboned?

Both scrawny and skinny imply an extreme leanness that suggests deficient strength and vitality.

a scrawny chicken
skinny street urchins

When is spare a more appropriate choice than rawboned?

While in some cases nearly identical to rawboned, spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

the gymnast's spare figure

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of rawboned Mitsouko softened Chypre’s rawboned extremes, imparting a creamy peach glow to the whole. Noy Thrupkaew, Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2021 Kirschling, a rawboned young man from Wisconsin, had written a master’s thesis at Columbia about long-term productivity decline in New York City’s mass transit. William Finnegan, The New Yorker, 2 July 2018 Like so many in Lincoln Heights, this tiny, rawboned 89-year-old woman had lived through a time of gang violence, high crime and police oppression. Brittny Mejia, Joe Mozingo, www.latimes.com, 3 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rawboned
Adjective
  • All of the millwork, including the angular staircase, was also done in collaboration with local carpenters and cabinet makers.
    Tori Latham, Robb Report, 10 June 2025
  • Styles have changed — at one point A Flock of Seagulls dispensed with the angular haircuts — but the synthesized beats remain.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 June 2025
Adjective
  • The slender figures wear precious garments, enhanced with cabochons and pearls, and adorned with ornaments.
    Anthony DeMarco, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
  • McMillan also needs to continue working with Carolina’s strength staff, because his lower body has always been slender and could impact his physical ceiling.
    Joseph Person, New York Times, 2 June 2025
Adjective
  • As tech organizations flatten their hierarchies, restructure teams and return to leaner operating models, one skill separates executives who thrive from those who struggle: the ability to delegate.
    Jimmie Lee, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
  • Another leading indicator warning of a decrease in manufacturing orders and leaner holiday inventories is empty ocean freight containers.
    Lori Ann LaRocco, CNBC, 11 June 2025
Adjective
  • Note skinnier carrots will cook faster than thicker ones.
    Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 June 2025
  • Quarterback Zach Wilson had a nice throw to tight end Jalin Conyers on a skinny post in 7-on-7s.
    Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 3 June 2025
Adjective
  • Lift your hips off the ground and place a block underneath your sacrum, the widest, boniest part of your pelvis.
    Cory Martin, Verywell Health, 16 Oct. 2024
  • Differences in Adult Bones That being said, some adults are bonier than others.
    Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 3 Nov. 2023
Adjective
  • The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 7 June 2025
  • The warm, sunny weather was helping the thin layer of oil evaporate, and the spill did not seem to harm wildlife, Laughlin said.
    Ethan Wolin, Sacbee.com, 6 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rawboned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rawboned. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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