bare 1 of 2

adjective

ˈber How to pronounce bare (audio)
Definition of barenext
1
as in mere
being this and no more impoverished people who can no longer afford the bare necessities

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in simple
free from all additions or embellishment do you want to know the bare truth?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in exposed
lacking a usual or natural covering the ground was bare, without a trace of grass

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in naked
lacking or shed of clothing the toddler liked to run around bare

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in devoid
lacking contents that could or should be present the cupboard was bare—not a thing to eat

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in void
utterly lacking in something needed, wanted, or expected the cupboard was bare of baking supplies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bare

2 of 2

verb

ˈber How to pronounce bare (audio)
as in to reveal
to make known (as information previously kept secret) finally bared the secret that she had kept to herself for so long

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
Prevent clover by fertilizing with nitrogen, mowing taller, watering deeply, and filling bare spots with grass seed. — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 2 Aug. 2026 Spot control weeds that are filling bare spots and over growing the good grass. — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Aug. 2026
Verb
However, Mills remains open to the possibility of baring all for her OnlyFans subscribers. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 31 July 2026 Christie went for a silver-champagne suit with a sheer collared shirt and white heels, while Sailor bared her abs in a bold sequin pinstripe suit teamed with a sparkly bra. — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for bare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bare
  1. mere
  2. simple
  3. exposed
  4. naked
  5. devoid
  6. reveal
  7. plain
  8. uncovered
Adjective
  • Video from his dash camera shows the aircraft gliding under a highway sign, missing it by mere feet, before touching down in the empty lanes.
    — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • In his music, Belafonte sought to honor his Caribbean heritage—he was born in Harlem to Jamaican parents in 1927—without being reduced to a mere exotic persona.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of mere
Adjective
  • Abernathy Greenway Park walk with Trees Atlanta Take a walk through the park with a Trees Atlanta docent, who will teach simple tricks for telling trees apart and share stories about why trees are important and how to protect them.
    — Mary Caldwell, AJC.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The Oldest Person in the World takes an ostensibly simple premise and explores its deeper resonance.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of simple
Adjective
  • The fact that my life is so exposed is incredibly complex for me.
    — Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
  • What information the Paidwork leak reportedly exposed The exposed information appears to reach far beyond email addresses.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of exposed
Adjective
  • For the best views, give your eyes 20–30 minutes to adapt, and look up after midnight using only the naked eye.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • While it was eventually scrubbed from TikTok, the 15-minute stream saw Hilton holding a knife while naked and bloody with visible cuts on his body.
    — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of naked
Adjective
  • In a show mostly devoid of explicit messages, the sentiment surprised me.
    — Max Norman, New Yorker, 25 June 2026
  • Players take on the role of a Ditto capable of mimicking its human trainer, and the Pokémon is thrown into a world devoid of humans.
    — Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 25 June 2026
Definition of devoid
Verb
  • In honor of the upcoming movie, the All Roads Lead to Camp bus is touring across the country and bringing fans, new and old, into the world of Camp Rock, PEOPLE previously revealed exclusively.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Across Europe, other historic objects have also been revealed this summer due to the record-breaking heat and crippling droughts hitting the continent’s waterways.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of reveal
Adjective
  • For instance, a plain English muffin typically contains about 120 to 150 calories, while a standard plain bagel often has 250 to 350 calories.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The fiber slows digestion, which can blunt the blood sugar spike that plain lemonade would normally cause.
    — Sarah Anzlovar, Verywell Health, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of plain
Adjective
  • There, too, cafés have been pressured to refuse to serve uncovered women, a young woman who recently traveled there told me.
    — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
  • But most wrecks of slave ships remain uncovered on the coast.
    — Amara Evering, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026
Definition of uncovered

Browse Nearby Words

bards
bare
bare-bones
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Cite this Entry

“Bare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bare. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of bare for Spanish Speakers

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