bony

adjective

ˈbō-nē How to pronounce bony (audio)
variants or less commonly boney
bonier; boniest
Synonyms of bonynext
1
a
: consisting of bone
b
: resembling bone
2
a
: full of bones
a bony piece of fish
b
: having prominent bones
a rugged bony face
3
a
: skinny, scrawny
b
: barren, lean

Synonyms of bony

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Examples of bony in a Sentence

a bony piece of fish that bony old horse may have been deliberately starved
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Lift your hips off the ground and place a block underneath your sacrum, the widest, boniest part of your pelvis. — Cory Martin, Verywell Health, 16 Oct. 2024 Differences in Adult Bones That being said, some adults are bonier than others. — Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 3 Nov. 2023 Then stand or sit while bending forward at the waist, pinching the soft part of the nose below the bony portion on both sides for 10 minutes. — Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2023 Santiago Calatrava is best known for bridges that leap and budgets that soar, for vast and bony white-steel structures that evoke high-tech ruins of the future and cause fiscal ruin in the present. — Curbed, 6 Dec. 2022 See All Example Sentences for bony

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of bony was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing bony

Rhymes for bony

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Browse Nearby Words

bonxie
bony
bony bream
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Cite this Entry

“Bony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bony. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

bony

adjective
ˈbō-nē How to pronounce bony (audio)
bonier; boniest
1
: of or relating to bone
the bony structure of the body
2
: full of bones
3
: resembling bone especially in hardness
a bony substance
4
: having large or noticeable bones
a bony face
5
: skinny sense 2, scrawny

Medical Definition

bony

adjective
variants also boney
ˈbō-nē How to pronounce bony (audio)
bonier; boniest
: consisting of or resembling bone
bony prominences of the skull

More from Merriam-Webster on bony

Nglish: Translation of bony for Spanish Speakers

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