Meaning
- most basic and important elements or facts
- not detailed but only basic or essential facts of something
- the basic framework and structure of something
- containing only that is most important or needed
- the irreducible least and the most crucial components
- reduced to only the most basic or significant facts of an elaborate matter or thing
- hardly sufficient or a tiny amount of money for a particular purpose (example #6, 7)
- an arrangement or service that provides as little of something as possible (example #8, 9)
Example Sentences
- Wendy told us a bare-bones version of the long story.
- My boss only asked me to provide bare-bones. He doesn't need all the details right now.
- Let me know the bare-bones before going through the whole matter.
- I am going to outline the bare bones of the story.
- As the Managing Director of the company was busy and did not have much time for her class-III employees, they gave her the bare bones of their complex issues.
- The board assigned a bare-bone budget which is certainly not sufficient for the maintenance of the project.
- My current budget is not even close to bare bones for house repairs.
- American Airlines' basic economy is a bare-bones fare that gives you a standard coach seat.
- The soldiers have been given a bare-bones "Meal Ready-to-Eat" before leaving for the battlefield.
- Only the bare bones of the research have been presented at conferences.
Origin
The idiom's original meaning is a skinny person to the maximum extent of skinniness who looks like a skeleton and couldn't further weaken being alive. Its first use was recorded in 1598.
The idiom "bare-bones" (in the sense we use today) came into existence in the early 20th century and gained popularity after the 1940s.