bare bones

plural noun

1. the irreducible minimum; the most essential components:

   Reduce this report to its bare bones. There is nothing left of the town but the bare bones—a couple of stores, a church, and a few houses.

bare-bones

adjective

1. basic or simple; no-frills

Other Words From

• bare-bones adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bare bones¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Idioms and Phrases

The mere essentials or plain, unadorned framework of something, as in This outline gives just the bare bones of the story; details will come later . This phrase transfers the naked skeleton of a body to figurative use. [c. 1900]

Example Sentences

I’ve enjoyed stripping the songs back down to the bare bones and enjoyed that they’re still sturdy enough to withstand that kind of stripping away.

From Los Angeles Times

If you have already cut your budget to the bare bones, it may be time for another tactic: negotiation.

From Salon

"Frankly speaking, I think it's 'bare bones'- a bill without substance", he says.

From BBC

Hoping for a positive result for Newcastle at SJP, but my word, we are down to bare bones.

From BBC

"I imagine we can get going within the next month or so with a bare bones team and set of machinery and tools," he said.

From BBC

More About Bare Bones

What does bare bones mean?

The bare bones is the absolute minimum, the plain essential elements or facts, or the most basic framework of something.

Bare often means uncovered, but in this case it means unadorned, plain, or scarcely or just sufficient. Bare bones is often used to refer to something that only includes its essential parts and nothing else.

The adjective form bare-bones means most basic and without any frills, as in My apartment is pretty bare-bones, with just a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchenette. 

Example: After the seniors graduate, the team will be left with only the bare bones of a squad, so they’ll need to recruit some more members.

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Where does bare bones come from?

Shakespeare used the term bare bone to refer to a skinny person in 1598, but the first records of bare bones referring to the bare essentials come from about 300 years later. The phrase is a reference to the skeleton as the essential framework of the body.

Bare bones can mean “the bare minimum,” as in With only the bare bones to work with, we’ll essentially have to start from scratch. It often refers to the essential components or facts, as in Don’t go into detail—just give me the bare bones. It can also mean “the basic framework,” as in You have the bare bones of a plan here, but it needs to be fleshed out. If a house is stripped to its bare bones, it usually means only the frame and foundation are left intact.

The adjective bare-bones is typically applied to things in their most basic or essential state, with nothing added, as in We need to operate with a bare-bones budget—we don’t have the money for anything other than the necessities.

Did you know ... ?

What are some synonyms for bare bones?

• essentials

What are some synonyms for bare-bones?

• basic
• austere

What are some words that share a root or word element with bare bones? 

• bare
• bones
• bare necessities
• bare hands

What are some words that often get used in discussing bare bones?

• essential
• plain
• minimum
• element
• part
• unadorned
• framework
• skeleton
• core

 

How is bare bones used in real life?

Bare bones is often used to refer to things that should or will eventually have more elements. These are most often negative situations, but the term can be used positively, too—a bare-bones approach to performing a task might be a welcome change from an overly complex method.

Newcastle down to the bare bones this weekend – John Carver has just 13 fit senior players plus two goalkeepers to choose from.

— Keith Downie (@SkySports_Keith) March 19, 2015

Hand in hand with only the bare bones of a plan

— 🌹 ᏟᏂᴦiႽႠiႶᏋ 🌛🎶🎵 (@Daaeismyname) July 27, 2019

How do "gold" healthcare plans for Utah's lawmakers compare to the bare-bones coverage being considered for the poor? http://t.co/EhlAVI11E7

— The Salt Lake Tribune (@sltrib) March 8, 2015

 

 

Try using bare bones!

Is bare bones used correctly in the following sentence?

I removed parts from the machine until only the bare bones were left.