raw

[ raw ]

/ rɔ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: raw / rawest / raws / rawness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, raw·er, raw·est.

uncooked, as articles of food: a raw carrot.

not having undergone processes of preparing, dressing, finishing, refining, or manufacture: raw cotton.

unnaturally or painfully exposed, as flesh, by removal of the skin or natural integument.

painfully open, as a sore or wound.

crude in quality or character; not tempered or refined by art or taste: raw humor.

ignorant, inexperienced, or untrained: a raw recruit.

brutally or grossly frank: a raw portrayal of human passions.

brutally harsh or unfair: a raw deal; receiving raw treatment from his friends.

disagreeably damp and chilly, as the weather or air: a raw, foggy day at the beach.

not diluted, as alcoholic spirits: raw whiskey.

unprocessed or unevaluated: raw data.

noun

a sore or irritated place, as on the flesh.

unrefined sugar, oil, etc.

OTHER WORDS FOR raw

2 unprepared, rough, makeshift.

6 undisciplined, green, unskilled, unpracticed.

9 cold, wet.

10 straight, neat.

See synonyms for raw on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR raw

1 cooked.

See antonyms for raw on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about raw

in the raw,

in the natural, uncultivated, or unrefined state: nature in the raw.
Informal. in the nude; naked: sunbathing in the raw.

Origin of raw

before 1000; Middle English; Old English hrēaw, hrǣw; cognate with Dutch rauw,German roh; akin to Latin crūdus raw (see crude), cruor blood, Greek kréas raw flesh

synonym study for raw

2. Raw, crude, rude refer to something not in a finished or highly refined state. Raw applies particularly to material not yet changed by a process, by manufacture, or by preparation for consumption: raw cotton; raw leather. Crude refers to that which still needs refining: crude petroleum. Rude refers to what is still in a condition of rough simplicity or in a makeshift or roughly made form: rude agricultural implements; the rude bridge that arched the flood.

OTHER WORDS FROM raw

rawish, adjectiveraw·ish·ness, nounrawly, adverbrawness, noun

half-raw, adjectivesem·i·raw, adjectivesem·i·raw·ly, adverbsem·i·raw·ness, noun

Words nearby raw

raving, ravioli, ravish, ravishing, ravishment, raw, Rawalpindi, rawaru, raw bar, rawboned, raw deal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT RAW

What does raw mean?

Raw describes something that hasn’t been cooked, as in The butcher put a pile of raw meat on the table.

Raw can also describe something that hasn’t been processed or refined, as in Raw cotton must be cleaned of plant parts before it can be made into thread or fabric.

Raw also refers to skin that was painfully removed, as in The uncomfortable pants rubbed my knees raw.

As well, raw can refer to someone who lacks experience or training, as in The rookie detective was too raw to be of any help to the veteran investigator.

Raw is rarely used as a noun. It is sometimes used in the idiom in the raw, meaning a natural, unprocessed state or, more informally, referring to something done while naked.

Example: The diners became very ill after eating chicken that was more raw that cooked.

Where does raw come from?

The first records of raw come before 1000. It comes from the Old English hrēaw. It is related to the Greek kréas, meaning “raw flesh.”

Many foods are fine to eat without cooking them. Fruits and vegetables can often be eaten raw, that is, straight off a tree or from the ground. Meat, on the other hand, can be dangerous when eaten raw, because it often contains bacteria such as salmonella or E. coli, which can cause serious food poisoning. While, it’s possible to eat fresh meat raw if certain precautions are taken, it’s highly recommended to properly cook meat to kill any harmful bacteria.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to raw?

rawish (adjective)
rawishness (noun)
rawly (adverb)
rawness (noun)

What are some synonyms for raw?

What are some words that share a root or word element with raw?

crude

What are some words that often get used in discussing raw?

How is raw used in real life?

Raw is a very common word, usually used to describe uncooked food.

Accidentally liking a bad tweet and accidentally touching raw meat are the same emotional trauma

— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) July 7, 2019

I handle raw chicken like it's highly explosive #Salmonella

— Nicholas Hoult (@NicholasHoult) November 1, 2013

At dinner the other night, someone handed me an ear of corn and said try it. The corn was raw. It had not been cooked. It was the most delicious ear of corn I've ever had.

How am I just learning this?

— Hugh Howey (@hughhowey) August 7, 2020

Try using raw!

Is raw used correctly in the following sentence?

The chef thoroughly grilled the beef until it was raw.

How to use raw in a sentence

Rather, they house enough of the raw ingredients to create water when heated.
Earth’s building blocks may have had far more water than previously thought|Christopher Crockett|August 27, 2020|Science News
Some of the elements on a printed circuit board, essentially the brain of a computer, are raw materials whose supply is at risk.
We’re Using Microbes to Clean Up Toxic Electronic Waste. Here’s How|Sebastien Farnaud|August 20, 2020|Singularity Hub
It was less a joke than a vote of confidence that in an age of extreme building — the Eiffel Tower, the Brooklyn Bridge and more — anything was possible if you just had enough raw material and the chutzpah to defy known limitations.
The Story Behind the Eiffel Tower’s Forgotten Competitors|Fiona Zublin|August 10, 2020|Ozy
It’s the same reaction that powers all stars, and trying to corral that kind of raw power and turn it into something we can use effectively is a challenge scientists have been struggling with for decades.
Construction of the World’s Biggest Nuclear Fusion Plant Just Started in France|Edd Gent|August 3, 2020|Singularity Hub

This why testimonial link building is seen as a great way to harness this raw strength of positive experiences by customers.
Testimonial link building: Using real experiences for success|Rameez Ghayas Usmani|July 15, 2020|Search Engine Watch
Raw eel seemed to be popular during and after the Middle Ages.
History's Craziest Hangover Cures|Justin Jones|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The script would be used as more than just raw material, but would need to be fudged.
Michael C. Hall on Going Drag for ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ and Exorcising ‘Dexter’|Marlow Stern|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The raw materials— tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold—were dubbed “conflict minerals.”
Aaron Rodgers Takes Aim at Congo’s ‘Blood Minerals’ War|John Prendergast|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But there was a lot of raw violence in the humor of the time.
The Magazine That Made—and Unmade—Politicians|Anthony Haden-Guest|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the raw believability of, say, Magnum photography has been done for.
The Magazine That Made—and Unmade—Politicians|Anthony Haden-Guest|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It makes out of the savage raw material which is our basal mental stuff, a citizen.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
It had come on to rain, and the raw dampness mingled itself with the dusky uproar of the Strand.
Confidence|Henry James
The evening was cold and raw and so dark that it was almost impossible to distinguish people on the badly lighted little platform.
Uncanny Tales|Various
This problem was solved by a native coming along driving a raw-boned horse before a rickety wagon.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
The comparison of the cost of production, therefore, with the value of the raw material, shows a very large margin of profit.
Asbestos|Robert H. Jones

British Dictionary definitions for raw

raw

/ (rɔː) /

adjective

(of food) not cookedraw onion

(prenominal) in an unfinished, natural, or unrefined state; not treated by manufacturing or other processesraw materials for making steel; raw brick

(of an edge of material) unhemmed; liable to fray

(of the skin, a wound, etc) having the surface exposed or abraded, esp painfully

ignorant, inexperienced, or immaturea raw recruit

(prenominal) not selected or modifiedraw statistics

frank or realistica raw picture of the breakdown of a marriage

(of spirits) undiluted

mainly US coarse, vulgar, or obscene

mainly US recently done; freshraw paintwork

(of the weather) harshly cold and damp

informal unfair; unjust (esp in the phrase a raw deal)

noun

the raw British informal a sensitive pointhis criticism touched me on the raw

in the raw

informal without clothes; naked
in a natural or unmodified statelife in the raw

Derived forms of raw

rawish, adjectiverawly, adverbrawness, noun

Word Origin for raw

Old English hreaw; related to Old High German hrao, Old Norse hrār raw, Latin cruor thick blood, Greek kreas meat

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with raw

raw

In addition to the idiom beginning with raw

raw deal

also see:

in the altogether (raw)