Definitions

cut to the bone

Part of Speech:

All (5) Adjective (3) Verb (2)

Jump To:

short adj.
succinct adj.
terse adj.
distill v.
shorten v.

ADJECTIVE

short

Synonyms

STRONGEST

abbreviated brief crisp precise shortened terse

STRONG

bare compressed condensed curtailed decreased diminished fleeting lessened little summarized summary

WEAK

aphoristic boiled down breviloquent compendiary compendious concise curtate cut short decurtate epigrammatic in a nutshell laconic momentary not protracted pithy sententious short and sweet short-term succinct undersized unprolonged unsustained

Antonyms

STRONGEST

enduring lasting lengthy

STRONG

long

WEAK

unabridged

ADJECTIVE

succinct

Synonyms

STRONGEST

blunt concise curt pithy terse

WEAK

boiled down breviloquent brusque compact compendiary compendious condensed in a nutshell in few words laconic short summary

Antonyms

STRONGEST

lengthy long-winded polite wordy

ADJECTIVE

terse

Synonyms

STRONGEST

brusque concise cryptic curt elliptical incisive laconic pithy precise succinct trenchant

WEAK

abrupt aphoristic boiled down breviloquent clear-cut clipped close compact compendiary compendious condensed crisp epigrammatic exact gnomic in a nutshell lean neat pointed sententious short and sweet snappy summary taut to the point

Antonyms

STRONGEST

gentle kind lengthy long-winded nice polite verbose wordy

WEAK

prolix

VERB

distill

Synonyms

STRONGEST

condense extract infuse refine

STRONG

brew clarify concentrate cook cut dribble drip drop evaporate express ferment precipitate press purify rarefy rectify steam sublimate trickle trim vaporize volatilize

WEAK

boil down cut down get to the meat press out squeeze out

Antonyms

STRONG

dirty pour

WEAK

pollute

VERB

shorten

Synonyms

STRONGEST

abbreviate compress curtail cut cut back cut down lessen minimize reduce shrink slash trim

STRONG

abridge bob chop clip condense contract dock edit elide excerpt lop retrench snip

WEAK

blue pencil boil down make a long story short put in a nutshell

Antonyms

STRONGEST

develop enlarge expand extend grow increase lengthen raise strengthen stretch

WEAK

amplify elongate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

cut to the bone

He said local authorities, who run schools in Scotland, had been "cut to the bone".

From BBC ● May 3, 2026

In some places, it cut to the bone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026

To stretch her legs, she had to leave a passenger door ajar, but September nights are raw in the Pacific Northwest, with sheets of rain that cut to the bone.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 18, 2023

"Their budget has been cut to the bone, and they are unable to perform many responsibilities that are vital to the national interest."

From Salon ● Dec. 26, 2022

So quiet that in the previous year’s race against California he’d rowed the whole two miles with his thumb cut to the bone and never mentioned it to anyone.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

cut to the bone

Example Sentences

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