1 boney | Definition of boney

bony

adjective
\ ˈbƍ-nē How to pronounce bony (audio) \
variants: or less commonly boney
bonier; boniest

Definition of bony

1a : consisting of bone
b : resembling bone
2a : full of bones a bony piece of fish
b : having prominent bones a rugged bony face
3a : skinny, scrawny
b : barren, lean

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of bony in a Sentence

a bony piece of fish that bony old horse may have been deliberately starved

Recent Examples on the Web

Further expansion of the ribs and bony outgrowths from parts of the backbone would have eventually fully encased the trunk. Hans-dieter Sues, Smithsonian, "How the Turtle Got Its Shell, With Apologies to Aesop," 20 Aug. 2019 Swimmer's ear happens when constant exposure to cold water irritates tissues in the ear canal, causing bony growths to form. Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Neanderthals suffered from a veritable epidemic of swimmer’s ear," 19 Aug. 2019 In response to criticism, Shahar acknowledged that the researchers speculated about the cause of the bony growths. NBC News, "Questions raised about study linking phones to bone spurs in the skull," 25 June 2019 These spurs are likely caused by the forward tilt of the head, according to the Post, which shifts weight in a way that can cause the bony growths. Brittney Mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Study Shows Poor Posture From Smartphone Use Could Be Causing Young People to Grow "Horns"," 20 June 2019 Her face was bony and sharp, and her nar- row, dark eyes sat close together. Melody Chiu, PEOPLE.com, "Get a First Look at Kobe Bryant's Upcoming Young Adult Novel Legacy and The Queen," 26 July 2019 What’s more, these new structures emerged when genes that help build nerve, bone, and skin tissue altered and became active in forming these bony protrusions, Qiu and colleagues report today in Science. Elizabeth Pennisi, Science | AAAS, "Cancer genes help deer antlers grow," 20 June 2019 Head trauma that shows signs of remodeling—the formation of callouses on longer bones, for instance, or bony bridges forming in the cranium—is a strong indication that the injury occurred antemortem, at least five to seven days before death. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Study concludes 33,000-year-old skull shows signs of blunt-force trauma," 6 July 2019 In Avimaia, Bailleul's team found medullary-like bony layers precisely where scientists would expect medullary bone to be, and the bone surfaces don't looked diseased. Michael Greshko, National Geographic, "In a first, fossil bird found with unlaid egg," 20 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bony.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of bony

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for bony

bony

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of bony

: resembling bone
: full of bones
: having large or noticeable bones

bony

adjective
\ ˈbƍ-nē How to pronounce bony (audio) \
bonier; boniest

Kids Definition of bony

1 : of or relating to bone a bony growth
2 : like bone especially in hardness bony material
3 : having bones and especially large or noticeable bones a bony fish bony hands
4 : very thin He is tall and bony.

bony

adjective
variants: also boney \ ˈbƍ-​nē How to pronounce boney (audio) \
bonier; boniest

Medical Definition of bony

: consisting of or resembling bone bony prominences of the skull

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on bony

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with bony

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for bony

Spanish Central: Translation of bony

Nglish: Translation of bony for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of bony for Arabic Speakers