raw

[ raw ]

adjective

, raw·er, raw·est.

1. uncooked, as articles of food:

   a raw carrot.

2. not having undergone processes of preparing, dressing, finishing, refining, or manufacture:

   raw cotton.

   Synonyms: unprepared, makeshift, rough

3. unnaturally or painfully exposed, as flesh, by removal of the skin or natural integument.
4. painfully open, as a sore or wound.
5. crude in quality or character; not tempered or refined by art or taste:

   raw humor.

6. ignorant, inexperienced, or untrained:

   a raw recruit.

   Synonyms: undisciplined, unpracticed, unskilled, green

7. brutally or grossly frank:

   a raw portrayal of human passions.

8. brutally harsh or unfair:

   a raw deal; receiving raw treatment from his friends.

9. disagreeably damp and chilly, as the weather or air:

   a raw, foggy day at the beach.

   Synonyms: wet, cold

10. not diluted, as alcoholic spirits:

    raw whiskey.

    Synonyms: neat, straight

11. unprocessed or unevaluated:

    raw data.

noun

1. a sore or irritated place, as on the flesh.
2. unrefined sugar, oil, etc.

raw

/ rɔː /

adjective

1. (of food) not cooked

   raw onion

2. prenominal in an unfinished, natural, or unrefined state; not treated by manufacturing or other processes

   raw materials for making steel

   raw brick

3. (of an edge of material) unhemmed; liable to fray
4. (of the skin, a wound, etc) having the surface exposed or abraded, esp painfully
5. ignorant, inexperienced, or immature

   a raw recruit

6. prenominal not selected or modified

   raw statistics

7. frank or realistic

   a raw picture of the breakdown of a marriage

8. (of spirits) undiluted
9. coarse, vulgar, or obscene
10. recently done; fresh

    raw paintwork

11. (of the weather) harshly cold and damp
12. informal.
    unfair; unjust (esp in the phrase a raw deal )

noun

1. the raw informal.
   a sensitive point

   his criticism touched me on the raw

2. in the raw
   1. without clothes; naked
   2. in a natural or unmodified state

      life in the raw

Derived Forms

• ˈrawly, adverb
• ˈrawness, noun
• ˈrawish, adjective

Other Words From

• rawish adjective
• rawish·ness noun
• rawly adverb
• rawness noun
• half-raw adjective
• semi·raw adjective
• semi·rawly adverb
• semi·rawness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of raw¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English hrēaw, hrǣw; cognate with Dutch rauw, German roh; akin to Latin crūdus “raw” ( crude ), cruor “blood,” Greek kréas “raw flesh” ( creatine )

Word History and Origins

Origin of raw¹

Old English hreaw ; related to Old High German hrao , Old Norse hrār raw, Latin cruor thick blood, Greek kreas meat

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in the raw,
   1. in the natural, uncultivated, or unrefined state:

      nature in the raw.

   2. Informal. in the nude; naked:

      sunbathing in the raw.

More idioms and phrases containing raw

In addition to the idiom beginning with raw , also see in the altogether (raw) .

Synonym Study

Raw, crude, rude refer to something not in a finished or highly refined state. Raw applies particularly to material not yet changed by a process, by manufacture, or by preparation for consumption: raw cotton; raw leather. Crude refers to that which still needs refining: crude petroleum. Rude refers to what is still in a condition of rough simplicity or in a makeshift or roughly made form: rude agricultural implements; the rude bridge that arched the flood.

Example Sentences

It’s a display of raw power and unchecked impulses, forcing senators in his own party to either praise their leader’s genius or risk his wrath on social media.

From Salon

The transfer of all GPS and ACC raw data is no longer necessary, allowing data communication with a significantly lower bandwidth to transmit the relevant information.

From Science Daily

Moore wipes it off and reapplies it repeatedly, finally rubbing her face raw.

From Los Angeles Times

The raw figures reported beg many questions and it is difficult to draw simple conclusions from them.

From BBC

"The cost of raw materials for businesses continued to fall, once again driven by lower crude oil prices," he added.

From BBC

Related Words

• basic
• coarse
• crude
• fresh
• natural
• organic
• rough
• uncooked
• undercooked
• unprocessed
• untreated

More About Raw

What does raw mean?

Raw describes something that hasn’t been cooked, as in The butcher put a pile of raw meat on the table.

Raw can also describe something that hasn’t been processed or refined, as in Raw cotton must be cleaned of plant parts before it can be made into thread or fabric. 

Raw also refers to skin that was painfully removed, as in The uncomfortable pants rubbed my knees raw. 

As well, raw can refer to someone who lacks experience or training, as in The rookie detective was too raw to be of any help to the veteran investigator. 

Raw is rarely used as a noun. It is sometimes used in the idiom in the raw, meaning a natural, unprocessed state or, more informally, referring to something done while naked.

Example: The diners became very ill after eating chicken that was more raw that cooked.

Where does raw come from?

The first records of raw come before 1000. It comes from the Old English hrēaw. It is related to the Greek kréas, meaning “raw flesh.”

Many foods are fine to eat without cooking them. Fruits and vegetables can often be eaten raw, that is, straight off a tree or from the ground. Meat, on the other hand, can be dangerous when eaten raw, because it often contains bacteria such as salmonella or E. coli, which can cause serious food poisoning. While, it’s possible to eat fresh meat raw if certain precautions are taken, it’s highly recommended to properly cook meat to kill any harmful bacteria.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to raw?

• rawish (adjective)
• rawishness (noun)
• rawly (adverb)
• rawness (noun)

What are some synonyms for raw?

• uncooked
• fresh
• crude
• natural
• inexperienced

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

• crude

What are some words that often get used in discussing raw?

• food
• meat
• materials
• oil
• recruit

How is raw used in real life?

Raw is a very common word, usually used to describe uncooked food.

Accidentally liking a bad tweet and accidentally touching raw meat are the same emotional trauma

— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) July 7, 2019

I handle raw chicken like it's highly explosive #Salmonella

— Nicholas Hoult (@NicholasHoult) November 1, 2013

At dinner the other night, someone handed me an ear of corn and said try it. The corn was raw. It had not been cooked. It was the most delicious ear of corn I've ever had.

How am I just learning this?

— Hugh Howey (@hughhowey) August 7, 2020

Try using raw!

Is raw used correctly in the following sentence?

The chef thoroughly grilled the beef until it was raw.