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bony

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities
US /ˈboʊni/ UK /ˈbəʊni/
Minimal pairs
Sounds like bonnie /ɑ/ vs /oʊ/
Freq #20282

Meanings

  1. 1
    adj

    Very thin, so that the bones can be seen or felt.

    He held out a thin, bony hand.

  2. 2
    adj

    Full of small bones, especially of fish.

    This fish is delicious but very bony.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 adj · very thin, so that the... gauntskeletalemaciated
2 adj · full of small bones,... boney
Word family
Forms bonierboniest
Derived forms bonilyboninessbonytailinfrabonyintrabonynonbonysuprabony

Appears in

Etymology

From Middle English bony, equivalent to bone + -y.

bony Middle English
View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

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