Standard Lemma guide

bony

adj · name · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈbəʊni/
  • General-American: /ˈboʊni/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -əʊni
  • CMU ARPABET: B OW1 N IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone; osseous.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Full of bones.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

With little flesh; skinny, thin.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • That bony fellow could use a few hot dinners.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Having prominent bones.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

name

Meaning 5

Initialism of Bank of New York.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective

Meaning 6

having bones especially many or prominent bones

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a bony shad fillet
  • her bony wrist
  • bony fish

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: boney

Antonyms: boneless

7

adjective

Meaning 7

composed of or containing bone

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • osseous tissue

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: osseous, osteal

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • emaciated bony hands
  • a nightmare population of gaunt men and skeletal boys
  • eyes were haggard and cavernous
  • small pinched faces
  • kept life in his wasted frame only by grim concentration

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cadaverous, emaciated, gaunt, haggard, pinched, skeletal, wasted

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

57 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: костен (kosten) — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • Catalan: ossi — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • Czech: kostní — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • Czech: kostěný — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • Dutch: benig — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • Finnish: luumainen — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • Finnish: luinen — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • French: osseux — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • Galician: óseo — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • German: knöchern — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • Ido: ostala — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • Indonesian: bertulang — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • Latin: osseus — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • Portuguese: ósseo — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • Romanian: osos — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • Russian: кости́стый (kostístyj) — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • Russian: ко́стный (kóstnyj) — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • Spanish: huesudo — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • Welsh: esgyrnog — resembling, having the appearance or consistence of, or relating to bone
  • Czech: plný kostí — full of bones
  • Czech: kostnatý — full of bones
  • Dutch: benig — full of bones
  • Finnish: luinen — full of bones
  • Finnish: ruotoinen — full of bones
  • Finnish: luiseva — full of bones
  • Galician: osudo — full of bones
  • German: grätig — full of bones
  • Hungarian: csontos — full of bones
  • Portuguese: ossudo — full of bones
  • Russian: кости́стый (kostístyj) — full of bones
  • Volapük: fitabomagik — full of bones
  • Bulgarian: кокалест (kokalest) — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • Czech: kostnatý — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • Czech: vyzáblý — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • Czech: kost a kůže — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • Dutch: benig — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • Dutch: mager — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • Finnish: luiseva — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • Galician: osudo — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • German: knochig — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • Greek: οστεώδης (osteódis) — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • Indonesian: kurus — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • Italian: ossuto — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • Italian: stecchino — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • Māori: (w)hīroki — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • Romanian: osos — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • Russian: костля́вый (kostljávyj) — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • Spanish: huesudo — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • Ottoman Turkish: ضعیف (zaʼif) — with little flesh; skinny, thin
  • Bulgarian: кокалест (kokalest) — having prominent bones
  • Czech: kostnatý — having prominent bones
  • Finnish: luiseva — having prominent bones
  • Galician: osudo — having prominent bones
  • German: knochig — having prominent bones
  • Portuguese: ossudo — having prominent bones
  • Russian: костля́вый (kostljávyj) — having prominent bones
  • Spanish: huesudo — having prominent bones