Raw materials or substances are in their natural state before being processed or usedin manufacturing.
We import raw materials and energy and export mainly industrial products.
...two ships carrying raw sugar from Cuba.
Synonyms: unrefined, natural, crude, unprocessed More Synonyms of raw
2. adjective
Raw food is food that is eaten uncooked, that has not yet been cooked, or that has not been cooked enough.
...a popular dish made of raw fish.
This versatile vegetable can be eaten raw or cooked.
Half of it is burned and half of it is raw.
Synonyms: uncooked, natural, fresh, bloodyof meat More Synonyms of raw
3. adjective
If a part of your body is raw, it is red and painful, perhaps because the skin has come off or has been burnt.
...the drag of the rope against the raw flesh of my shoulders.
Her feet hurt and her hands were rubbed raw from unaccustomed work.
Synonyms: sore, open, skinned, sensitive More Synonyms of raw
4. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Raw emotions are strong basic feelings or responses which are not weakened by other influences.
...the raw passions of nationalism.
Her grief was still raw and he did not know how to help her.
Synonyms: frank, plain, bare, naked More Synonyms of raw
rawnesssingular noun
The rawness of his greed was frank and uninhibited.
5. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
If you describe something as raw, you mean that it is simple, powerful, and real.
...the raw power of instinct.
...the raw vitality of his earlier painting.
Synonyms: simple, natural, clean, classic More Synonyms of raw
rawnessuncountable noun
Recorded almost live, there's a certain seductive rawness about the whole thing.
6. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Raw data is facts or information that has not yet been sorted, analysed, or prepared for use.
Analyses were conducted on the raw data.
...a statistical model that fully adjusts the census's raw figures.
Synonyms: unprepared More Synonyms of raw
7. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
If you describe someone in a new job as raw, or as a raw recruit, you mean that they lack experience in that job.
...replacing experienced men with raw recruits.
Davies is still raw but his potential shows.
Synonyms: inexperienced, new, green, ignorant More Synonyms of raw
8. adjective
Raw weather feels unpleasantly cold.
Once they cleared the housetops, the wind was raw and biting.
...a raw December morning.
Synonyms: chilly, biting, cold, freezing More Synonyms of raw
9. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Raw sewage is sewage that has not been treated to make it cleaner.
...contamination of bathing water by raw sewage.
Synonyms: untreated, crude, unprocessed, in its natural state More Synonyms of raw
10.
See a raw deal
11.
See in the raw
12. touch a raw nerve
raw in British English
(rɔː)
adjective
1.
(of food) not cooked
raw onion
2. (prenominal)
in an unfinished, natural, or unrefined state; not treated by manufacturing or other processes
raw materials for making steel
raw brick
3.
(of an edge of material) unhemmed; liable to fray
4.
(of the skin, a wound, etc) having the surface exposed or abraded, esp painfully
5.
ignorant, inexperienced, or immature
a raw recruit
6. (prenominal)
not selected or modified
raw statistics
7.
frank or realistic
a raw picture of the breakdown of a marriage
8.
(of spirits) undiluted
9. mainly US
coarse, vulgar, or obscene
10. mainly US
recently done; fresh
raw paintwork
11.
(of the weather) harshly cold and damp
12. informal
unfair; unjust (esp in the phrase a raw deal)
noun
13. the raw
14. in the raw
Derived forms
rawish (ˈrawish)
adjective
rawly (ˈrawly)
adverb
rawness (ˈrawness)
noun
Word origin
Old English hreaw; related to Old High German hrao, Old Norse hrār raw, Latin cruor thick blood, Greek kreas meat
raw in American English
(rɔ)
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. US
a.
brutal or coarse in frankness
b.
indecent; bawdy
9. Informal
harsh or unfair
a raw deal
noun
10. Rare
a raw or inflamed spot on the body
Idioms:
in the raw
Derived forms
rawly (ˈrawly)
adverb
rawness (ˈrawness)
noun
Word origin
ME rawe < OE hreaw, akin to Ger roh < IE base *kreu-, clotted blood, bloody flesh > L crusta, lit., congealed blood: see crude, cruel
More idioms containing
raw
get a raw deal
come the raw prawn
Examples of 'raw' in a sentence
raw
But raw political power is also in play.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She certainly does not step back from her belief that women get a raw deal.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It made me realise just how raw it still is.
The Sun (2016)
He is still very raw but gave his all.
The Sun (2016)
And besides, driving is not all about raw power.
The Sun (2016)
Watch clips of his best goals and be reminded of that awesome power, raw and unfiltered.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They are susceptible because the Springbok defence is still based on raw power.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A period of dry weather means that raw sewage builds up in the pipes and tunnels under the capital.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
One pregnant woman grabs my arm and, pointing at a raw strip of flesh, screams.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The pressure on the council to maximise land prices means a raw deal for existing residents.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The middle of the scallop should remain almost raw.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Sushi to see what they made of raw fish.
The Sun (2012)
We are all still very raw from the experience.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The grief leaves you raw and exhausted.
The Sun (2013)
We saw staff mixing cooked meat and chicken with raw food.
The Sun (2012)
The next day my boyfriend was still feeling raw.
The Sun (2008)
Some of the streets were filled with raw sewage.
Oliver Poole BLACK KNIGHTS: On the Bloody Road to Baghdad (2003)
Shareholders have had a pretty raw deal over the past couple of years.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Having to cope with this on top of our raw pain almost pushed us over the edge.
The Sun (2011)
Serve with fish pie or raw oysters.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Only such a raw experience can make you understand that.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
And some raw fish still contain live worms.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
All of this was compounded by the need to work in raw sewage.
Richard Holmes Dusty Warriors: Modern Soldiers at War (2006)
Just raw power that can often see him charging into a defender or ending up down a blind alley.
The Sun (2008)
Fresh and raw foods are essential to health in the winter when a large percentage of the diet consists of cooked meals.
Martlew, Gillian & Silver, Shelley Stay Well This Winter (1989)
Raw milk costs about 30p a litre to produce.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It's all about the raw emotions we go through in life.
The Sun (2011)
They may love raw fish, but they also love cars with raw power.
The Sun (2009)
Brush the prepared artichokes with olive oil and cook them raw for about 30 minutes until tender.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
But promoting the use of raw flesh as a fashion accessory is wrong - as well as just plain gross.
The Sun (2010)
Word lists with
raw
Weather descriptions
In other languages
raw
British English: raw /rɔː/ ADJECTIVE
A raw substance is in its natural state before being processed.
The ships were carrying raw sugar from Cuba.
American English: raw
Arabic: خام
Brazilian Portuguese: cru
Chinese: 未加工的
Croatian: sirov
Czech: syrový
Danish: rå
Dutch: rauw
European Spanish: crudo sin cocinar
Finnish: raaka ei kypsä
French: cru
German: roh
Greek: ωμός
Italian: crudo
Japanese: 生の
Korean: 날것의
Norwegian: rå
Polish: surowy jedzenie
European Portuguese: cru
Romanian: brut
Russian: сырой
Latin American Spanish: crudo
Swedish: rå
Thai: ดิบ
Turkish: çiğ pişmemiş
Ukrainian: необроблений
Vietnamese: thô chưa chín
All related terms of 'raw'
raw bar
a restaurant or counter at which uncooked shellfish are served
the raw
a sensitive point
half-raw
(of meat ) only partially cooked
raw food
Food is what people and animals eat.
raw milk
unpasteurized milk
raw score
the points awarded in a test before these are adjusted or converted
raw silk
untreated silk fibres reeled from the cocoon
Johnny raw
a novice ; new recruit
raw sienna
a yellowish-brown dye or pigment obtained from untreated sienna
a raw deal
If you say that you are getting a raw deal , you mean that you are being treated unfairly.
in the raw
You use in the raw to describe something that is in its true state, and has not been made civilized or respectable .
raw material
material on which a particular manufacturing process is carried out
raw materials
Raw materials are materials that are in their natural state, before they are processed or used in manufacturing .
raw ingredients
Ingredients are the things that are used to make something, especially all the different foods you use when you are cooking a particular dish.
raw vegetables
Vegetables are plants such as cabbages , potatoes , and onions which you can cook and eat.
get a raw deal
to be treated unfairly or badly
raw milk cheese
cheese or a cheese made with unpasteurized milk
come the raw prawn
to try to cheat or trick someone
touch a raw nerve
If you say that you have touched a nerve or touched a raw nerve , you mean that you have accidentally upset someone by talking about something that they feel strongly about or are very sensitive about.
cold pack
a method of lowering the body temperature by wrapping a person in a sheet soaked in cold water