Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Having a lean and bony physique: Describes a person or animal that is very thin, with little body fat, so that the underlying bone structure is prominent or easily visible.

Usage

• The adjective rawboned is used to describe physical appearance, emphasizing leanness and a visible bony frame. It often carries a neutral or descriptive tone but can imply a rugged, sinewy strength rather than frailty.
• It typically precedes the noun it modifies (attributive position) but can also follow linking verbs like "be" or "look" (predicative position).

Examples

• Attributive (before noun):
  • The rawboned rancher worked from dawn till dusk.
  • She had a rawboned, angular face.
• Predicative (after verb):
  • The old horse was tall and rawboned.
  • After the long trek, the hikers looked gaunt and rawboned.

Advanced Usage

• Descriptive Nuance: While "rawboned" primarily denotes a lean, bony build, it often connotes toughness, endurance, or a life of hard physical labor, as opposed to simply being underweight.
  • His rawboned frame was a testament to years of manual work.

Variants and Related Words

• Gaunt (adj): Extremely thin and bony, often suggesting hunger, illness, or suffering.
• Lanky (adj): Ungracefully thin and tall.
• Angular (adj): Having sharp corners or features; used to describe a thin, bony face or body.
• Sinewy (adj): Lean and muscular; tough.

Synonyms

• Bony
• Scrawny
• Skinny
• Spare (in build)
• Lean

Antonyms

• Plump
• Stocky
• Corpulent
• Rotund
• Heavyset

Related Phrases/Idioms

• All skin and bones: An idiom meaning extremely thin.
  • After his illness, he was all skin and bones. (This is more emphatic and colloquial than "rawboned").
• Lean and mean: An idiom suggesting efficiency and toughness, often with a thin, fit physique.
  • The athlete kept himself lean and mean for competition.

Adjective

1. having a lean and bony physique
   • a rawboned cow hand