bony fish

American  

noun

1. any fish of the class Osteichthyes, characterized by gill covers, an air bladder, and a skeleton composed of bone in addition to cartilage.

---

bony fish British  

noun

1. any fish of the class Osteichthyes , including most of the extant species, having a skeleton of bone rather than cartilage

---

bony fish Scientific  

/ bō′nē /

1. Any of numerous ray-finned fishes belonging to the infraclass Teleostei or Teleostomi, having a skeleton that is completely made of bone, rather than partially or completely made of cartilage. Most living species of fish are bony fish.

2. Also called teleost

3. Compare cartilaginous fish jawless fish

---

Etymology

Origin of bony fish

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bony fish

"They're a heavy, bony fish, so it must be some severe ramming," Wellard said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Yes, bony fish have bones, but they can be a pain to deal with.

From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2025

Other winners of a slimy new epoch would be ocean sunfish, a giant bony fish whose individuals can clock in at more than 2,000 pounds and consume jellyfish — and velella — in mass quantities.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2024

Once thought to exist only in bony vertebrates, these so-called synovial joints actually evolved in the much older ancestor of cartilaginous and bony fish, researchers reported earlier this month in a preprint on bioRxiv.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 25, 2024

Sammy and James took the few bony fish they had caught and baited the crab traps.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt