The Meaning of Bare: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of bare? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word bare, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What does the word bare mean?

According to the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language and other sources like Collins English Dictionary and American Heritage, the word bare has multiple different meanings. Bare can be used as an adjective to refer to something that is nude or uncovered, esp of a part of the body such as a bare body. It can also be used to describe something that is unadorned, free of embellishments or uncovered, like bare rocky hills, or the similar barren lands describing a stark landscape. Bare can also be used as a verb meaning to reveal or uncover. It is also a slang term for that part of a roofing slate, metal plate, tile or shingle that is exposed to weather. Many things can be described as bare, including bare facts, bare hands, the bare minimum, bare essentials, bare wood, a bare blade, a bare tree, or the bare necessities of life. The past tense of bare is bore. The pronunciation of bare is bɛə.

Many different languages also contain words that mean bare in both of its various definitions. You may notice that many translations of bare look and sound similar to one another. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases that have the same root ro language of origin as a word of another language and therefore look, sound, and mean something similar. This list of translations for the word bare is provided by Word Sense.

Bare (adj.) – naked or uncovered

  •  Finnish: paljas‎
  •  French: nu‎ (masc.), nue‎ (fem.)
  •  Basque: has‎
  •  Danish: bar‎
  •  Manx: lhome‎
  •  Walloon: nou‎ (masc.)
  •  Faroese: berur‎
  •  Volapük: nüdik‎
  •  Scottish Gaelic: rùisgte‎, lom‎, lomnochd‎
  •  German: bar‎, nackt‎
  •  Esperanto: nuda‎
  •  Old English: bær‎
  •  West Frisian: keal‎
  •  Korean: 맨‎ (men)
  •  Italian: nudo‎ (masc.), nuda‎ (fem.)
  •  Portuguese: nu‎ (masc.)
  •  Latin: nudus‎ (masc.), nuda‎ (fem.), nudum‎ (neut.)
  •  Norman: nu‎
  •  Persian: برهنه‎ (berahne)
  •  Latvian: pliks‎
  •  Spanish: desnudo‎ (masc.)
  •  Bulgarian: гол‎, непокрит‎
  •  Tagalog: hubad‎
  •  Swedish: bar‎
  •  Armenian: մերկ‎, տկլոր‎
  •  Hungarian: meztelen‎, csupasz‎
  •  Dutch: bloot‎

Bare (v.) – to uncover or reveal

  •  Estonian: paljastama‎
  •  Finnish: paljastaa‎
  •  Serbo-Croatian: открити‎, otkriti‎
  •  Mandarin: 透露‎ (tòulù), 顯示‎, 显示‎ (xiǎnshì)
  •  Ido: revelar‎
  •  Swahili: dhihirisha‎
  •  Latin: acclārō‎, patefacio‎
  •  Spanish: revelar‎, propalar‎
  •  Norwegian: avsløre‎
  •  Sorani: ده‌رخستن‎ (derxistin)
  •  Ukrainian: розкривати‎, виявляти‎, показувати‎, з’ясовувати‎
  •  Telugu: బయటపెట్టు‎, వెల్లడించు‎ (vellaDiMchu)
  •  Arabic: كَشَفَ‎
  •  Dutch: onthullen‎, zich ontpoppen‎
  •  Russian: выявля́ть‎ (impf), раскрыва́ть‎ (impf), пока́зывать‎ (impf)
  •  Japanese: 現す‎ (あらわす, arawasu), 表す‎ (あらわす, arawasu), 表わす‎ (あらわす, arawasu)
  •  Turkish: açığa vurmak‎
  •  Ngazidja Comorian: pvenua‎
  •  Esperanto: malkaŝi‎
  •  Swedish: uppenbara‎
  •  Korean: 나타내다‎ (natanaeda)
  •  Hebrew: גילה‎ (gilá), חשף‎ (khasáf)
  •  Old Church Slavonic: авити‎
  •  Danish: afsløre‎
  •  Greek: αποκαλύπτω‎
  •  Italian: rivelare‎
  •  French: révéler‎
  •  Polish: odkrywać‎, odsłaniać‎, ujawniać‎
  •  Czech: odhalit‎
  •  Portuguese: revelar‎
  •  Macedonian: открива‎ (otkriva)
  •  Catalan: revelar‎
  •  Persian: مکشوف ساختن‎ (makšuf sâxtan)
  •  German: enthüllen‎

What is the origin of the word bare?

According to Etymonline, the word bare has been used Middle English and comes from the Old English bær in its adjective form, meaning naked or uncovered. This comes from the Proto-Germanic bazaz, which is also the source of the German bar, Old Norse berr, Old High German bar, Old Slavonic bosǔ, and Dutch baar. These all come from the Proto-Indo-European root bhoso meaning naked, which is also the source of the Armenian bok, Old Church Slavonic bosu, and Lithuanian basas. The verb form of the word bare comes from the Old English barian. One can add the suffixes ly, ness, er, est, ed, and ing to make the related words bared, baring, barely (adv.) and bareness (n.)

What are synonyms for the word bare?

There are many different words that can be used in place of the word bare in its various definitions. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same definition as another given word or phrase. Learning synonyms is a great way to avoid repeating yourself and expand your English language vocabulary. This list of synonyms for the word bare is provided by Thesaurus.

Bare (adj.) – naked or uncovered

  • uncovered
  •  unclad
  •  open
  •  blank
  •  simple
  •  disrobed
  •  vacant
  •  cold
  •  literal
  •  bareskinned
  •  bleak
  •  arid
  •  severe
  •  blunt
  •  divested
  •  scanty
  •  sheer
  •  modest
  •  vacuous
  •  peeled
  •  empty
  •  exposed
  •  unornamented
  •  unrobed
  •  shorn
  •  denuded
  •  unclothed
  •  naked
  •  desert
  •  lacking
  •  poor
  •  undressed
  •  hard
  •  austere
  •  clear
  •  barren
  •  stark
  •  desolate
  •  bald
  •  mere
  •  basic
  •  meager
  •  scant
  •  stripped
  •  chaste
  •  unembellished
  •  spare
  •  void
  •  essential
  •  in one’s birthday suit
  •  nude
  •  scarce
  •  unfurnished
  •  mean
  •  wanting

Bare (v.) – to uncover or reveal

  •  unclothe
  •  unmask
  •  manifest
  •  disclose
  •  unearth
  •  expose
  •  exhibit
  •  reveal
  •  flash
  •  display
  •  unveil
  •  open

How can the word bare be used in a sentence?

The word bare can be used in many different ways in the English language. Using words in a sentence is a great way to learn their definition, or you could try making flashcards or quizzes to test your knowledge. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today! Below are several examples of bare to get you started.

The nude model was bare from the waist up, exposing her breast for the artists to draw. Others may have felt uncomfortable, but the artists were respectful and saw her as a beauty of human form, not as an sex object to be gawked at or objectified.

The woman spoke the simple truth in court, and allowed the bare facts to speak for themselves. The man who assaulted her was locked up for a life sentence.

He moved into the bare London apartment. Without his usual furnishings he began to feel anxious about living in theis new city, with no family or friends nearby. He decided to decorate immediately to give himself a sense of hominess.

Overall, the word bare means stark, blank, or nude. It can also be used as a verb meaning to uncover or reveal.

Sources:

  1. bare | Origin and meaning of bare | Online Etymology Dictionary 
  2. bare: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense
  3. BARE Synonyms: 102 Synonyms & Antonyms for BARE | Thesaurus 
  4. Bare | Definition of Bare | Merriam-Webster