bony

[ boh-nee ]

adjective

, bon·i·er, bon·i·est.

1. of or like bone.
2. full of bones.
3. having prominent bones; big-boned.
4. skinny; emaciated.

bony

/ ˈbəʊnɪ /

adjective

1. resembling or consisting of bone or bones
2. having many bones
3. having prominent bones

   bony cheeks

4. thin or emaciated

   a bony old woman

Derived Forms

• ˈboniness, noun

Other Words From

• boni·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bony¹

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

Example Sentences

And lest we think models are just bony arms and pretty faces, they frequently assure us that they are really, truly intelligent.

From The Daily Beast

The oarfish is the largest living bony fish, reaching up to 35 feet in length.

From The Daily Beast

A pair of giant, bony fish—one 18 feet long—have washed up on California beaches this week.

From The Daily Beast

It reminded him of the man who had a poor old lean, bony, spavined horse, with swelled legs.

From The Daily Beast

Some were explicit, with messages written on them like that bony girl in the T-shirt.

From The Daily Beast

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

Indeed, part of the bony structure had rolled clear of the shreds of tattered rags.

From Project Gutenberg

Various disorders of nutrition in the early years of life express themselves in bony deformities, and the skull is not spared.

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• emaciated
• gaunt
• scrawny
• skinny