raw Hear it!

raw definition

raw (rô)

adjective

  1. not cooked
  2. in its natural condition; not changed by art, dilution, manufacture, aging, etc. raw wool, raw whiskey
  3. not processed, edited, interpreted, etc. raw data
  4. not yet processed, cleaned, etc. as by chemical treatment; untreated raw sewage
  5. inexperienced; not yet developed or trained a raw recruit
  6. with the skin rubbed or torn off; sore and inflamed a raw cut
  7. uncomfortably cold and damp; bleak a raw wind
  8. ☆
    1. brutal or coarse in frankness
    2. indecent; bawdy
  9. Informal harsh or unfair a raw deal

Etymology: ME rawe < OE hreaw, akin to Ger roh < IE base *kreu-, clotted blood, bloody flesh > L crusta, lit., congealed blood: see crude, cruel

noun

Rare a raw or inflamed spot on the body

Related Forms:

raw Idioms

in the raw

  1. in the natural state; without cultivation, refinement, etc.
  2. ☆ naked; nude

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms raw idiom

medical raw definition - medical

raw Synonyms

raw

modif.

  1. Not cooked

    uncooked, fresh, rare, hard, unprepared, undercooked, underdone, fibrous, coarse-grained, unpasteurized, unbaked, unfried; see also rare 5.

    Antonyms cooked, baked*, fried. *

  2. Unfinished

    natural, untreated, rough, newly cut, unprocessed, crude, unrefined, unstained, untanned, coarse, newly mined, uncut, virgin, unedited, unevaluated; see also unfinished 2.

    Antonyms manufactured, refined*, processed. *

  3. Untrained

    inexperienced, immature, new, fresh; see inexperienced.

  4. Cold

    biting, windy, bleak; see cold 1.

  5. Without skin

    peeled, skinned, dressed, galled, scraped, blistered, cut, wounded, pared, uncovered, chafed, bruised, sore, irritated, inflamed.

    Antonyms coated, covered*, healed.

  6. *Nasty

    coarse, crude, brutally frank; see coarse 2, rude 2, vulgar 1.

in the raw*

nude, bare, unclothed; see naked 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

raw Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • pretty: Snubbed socially by the ungrateful Prince, Flashy observes: " That, I confess, I found pretty raw.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • eat: TIP: Eat spinach leaves raw in salads or add them to sandwich fillings.

Modifies a noun

  • material: True, the raw material could scarcely be bettered.

Used with adjective complement

  • eat: Fresh vegetables should be cooked rather than eaten raw.

Preposition: in

  • salad: TIP: Eat spinach leaves raw in salads or add them to sandwich fillings.
raw usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

raw quotes

Artists and poets are the raw nerve ends of humanity. By themselves they can do little to save humanity.Without them there would be little worth saving.

-Anonymous

In every case, agricultural as well as manufacturing profits are lowered bya rise in the price of raw produce, if it be accompanied bya rise of wages_ The natural tendency of profits istofall; for inthe progress of society and wealth, the additional quantity of food required is obtained by the sacrifice of more and more labour.

-Ricardo, David

raw quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"raw." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 3 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/raw>

APA Style

raw. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 3rd, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/raw

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