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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective bare differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of bare are bald, barren, naked, and nude. While all these words mean "deprived of naturally or conventionally appropriate covering," bare implies the removal of what is additional, superfluous, ornamental, or dispensable.

an apartment with bare walls

When might bald be a better fit than bare?

The synonyms bald and bare are sometimes interchangeable, but bald implies actual or seeming absence of natural covering and may suggest a conspicuous bareness.

a bald mountain peak

When is it sensible to use barren instead of bare?

The words barren and bare can be used in similar contexts, but barren often suggests aridity or impoverishment or sterility.

barren plains

In what contexts can naked take the place of bare?

While in some cases nearly identical to bare, naked suggests absence of protective or ornamental covering but may imply a state of nature, of destitution, or of defenselessness.

poor half-naked children

Where would nude be a reasonable alternative to bare?

While the synonyms nude and bare are close in meaning, nude applies especially to the unclothed human figure.

a nude model posing for art students

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 bare
Adjective
Survivors in Mandalay, Burma's second-biggest city, dug with their bare hands on Friday in desperate attempts to save those still trapped, lacking heavy machinery and with authorities absent. Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 29 Mar. 2025 On bare lips, the gloss creates a lacquered finish. Claire Sullivan, Footwear News, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
Hardly the norm for an industry built on baring skin. Courtney Crowder, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2025 Chekhov bares the inner lives of his characters. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bare
Adjective
  • Leaders who appreciate the worth of their team and respect others will gain far more than mere obedience.
    Chris Gallagher, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Four other superior challengers, all within a mere point-and-a-half of each other in the estimation of Keeneland’s excellent Odds Gods.
    Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • That simplicity feels so apt for this show, There's enough here: The production is simple and sweet, while Jonas and Warren exude a certain magnetism.
    Shania Russell, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Kit kept things simple with a traditional dark blue suit, pairing the look with a white shirt and polkadot bowtie and his usual glasses.
    Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • And, while the ball was mid-air, Zwolle’s attackers were to sprint to the penalty area to meet it on the way down and, ideally, stick it past an exposed goalkeeper.
    Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2025
  • The ceiling appears damaged, with exposed beams, and the windows are now boarded up with plywood.
    Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Although eclipse glasses were essential to see any other part of the eclipse, totality was strictly a naked eyesight.
    Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • In Caruso, voters saw a former Republican, and an antiabortion one at that, who had switched his party affiliation for naked political expediency.
    Robert Petkoff Krish Seenivasan Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Banking has become functionally correct but emotionally devoid, with the industry swimming in a sea of sameness.
    Michael Abbott, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Delle, devoid for so long from its intrinsic need for social interaction might be filling in the gaps by talking to himself.
    Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2023
Verb
  • For example, the podcast didn’t reveal that Kochan was assaulted as a child by her mother’s boyfriend until the end, whereas the TV series introduces that information early on.
    Selome Hailu, Variety, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Tim Plowman and Jim Duke would famously reveal coca to be both benign and chock-full of vital nutrients, but their nutritional study came a generation too late to inform the bureaucratic and political process that led to the criminalization of the plant.
    Wade Davis, Rolling Stone, 6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Or skip the color entirely and let your designs pop off plain, undyed eggs.
    Kathy Barnes, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Without laws, humans are forced to decide for themselves what constitutes justice or just plain revenge.
    Alison Herman, Variety, 7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • But Smith is quick to point out that the facility won’t just sit empty between private driving days.
    Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
  • These bottles can be flattened when empty, conserving valuable luggage space and expanded when needed.
    Jené Luciani Sena, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Bare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bare. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.

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