bare essentials

plural noun

: the things that are absolutely necessary

We only had enough room to pack the bare essentials.

Examples of bare essentials in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As the name suggests, minimalist photography focuses on the art of stripping back your subjects to the bare essentials. —Michael Irving, New Atlas, 7 Sep. 2024

Good planning for typical disaster readiness is a dorm-sized mini-fridge that can hold bare essentials (medicine) for long periods without reliable electrical power. —Craig Caudill, Field & Stream, 7 Feb. 2024

While the musical largely follows the same beats as the movie (and the 1958 teleplay it was based on), Lucas challenged himself to prune the plot to its bare essentials and craft a show so propulsive that the audience can’t dwell on its despondence. —Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2024

In a Vulnerable Conversation, Cara Delevingne Gets Real About Addiction and Mental Health While my list of dating criteria gets longer with age (see: paragraph two), Lauren says her years of dating fatigue actually stripped her standards to the bare essentials. —Karley Sciortino, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2023

Most rental kitchens also have only the (very) bare essentials in terms of equipment and appliances, often looking a bit worse for wear. —Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2023

The cabin is very similar to the GT3, stripped down to the bare essentials with Recaro racing seats to keep the driver nice and snug. —Caleb Miller, Car and Driver, 28 June 2023

Tove Lo is giving you the opportunity to do just that with the release of Dirt Femme (Stripped), a 7-track EP taking fan-favorite songs off of the singer’s excellent 2022 album and stripping them down to their bare essentials. —Stephen Daw, Billboard, 5 May 2023

The place is immaculate, and the only items on the counter are the bare essentials: a brick of toilet paper and an unopened bottle of 100 proof bourbon. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Feb. 2023