bony

[ boh-nee ]
See synonyms for bony on Thesaurus.com
adjective,bon·i·er, bon·i·est.
  1. of or like bone.

  2. full of bones.

  1. having prominent bones; big-boned.

  2. skinny; emaciated.

Origin of bony

1
First recorded in 1350–1400, bony is from the Middle English word boni.See bone, -y1

Other words from bony

  • bon·i·ness, noun

Words Nearby bony

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bony in a sentence

  • Johnny the Itch pulled nervously at the wide-brimmed fedora jerked down on his bony skull.

  • Angular and bony, with slightly stooped shoulders, his face is a mass of minute wrinkles seamed on yellow parchment.

    Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander Berkman
  • Indeed, part of the bony structure had rolled clear of the shreds of tattered rags.

    The Gold Trail | Harold Bindloss
  • Various disorders of nutrition in the early years of life express themselves in bony deformities, and the skull is not spared.

  • Then she drew the glistening ring from the skeleton's bony hand, and placed it on her third finger.

    They Looked and Loved | Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller

British Dictionary definitions for bony

bony

/ (ˈbəʊnɪ) /


adjectivebonier or boniest
  1. resembling or consisting of bone or bones

  2. having many bones

  1. having prominent bones: bony cheeks

  2. thin or emaciated: a bony old woman

Derived forms of bony

  • boniness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012