raw
1 of 2adjective
ˈrȯ 
rawer ˈrȯ(-ə)r ; rawest ˈrȯ-əst
; rawest ˈrȯ-əst 1
: not cooked
2
a(1)
: being in or nearly in the natural state : not processed or purified
raw fibers
raw sewage
(2)
: not diluted or blended
raw spirits
b
: unprepared or imperfectly prepared for use
c
: not being in polished, finished, or processed form
raw data
a raw draft of a thesis
3
a(1)
: having the surface abraded or chafed
(2)
: very irritated
a raw sore throat
b
: lacking covering : naked
c
: not protected : susceptible to hurt
raw emotions
4
a
: lacking experience or understanding : green
a raw recruit
b(1)
: marked by absence of refinements
(2)
: vulgar, coarse
raw language
c
: not tempered : unbridled
raw power
5
: disagreeably damp or cold
a raw winter day
rawly adverb
rawness noun
raw
2 of 2noun
: a raw place or state
Synonyms
Adjective
- uncooked
Noun
- altogether
- bareness
- birthday suit
- bottomlessness
- buff
- nakedness
- nude
- nudity
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective He entered the raw data into a spreadsheet. The shoes rubbed my heels raw. His throat was raw from the cold air. Noun a secluded swimming hole where we could swim in the raw
Recent Examples on the Web
Christopher Rugaber, ajc, 13 Sep. 2022 Ongoing price increases for raw materials — and labor — have left many small businesses struggling. Christopher Rugaber, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Sep. 2022 Chinese exports to Russia of microchips and other electronic components and raw materials, some with military applications, have increased. Keith Zhai, WSJ, 13 Sep. 2022 Tesla raised prices for its cars in the U.S. multiple times this year, most recently in June, citing supply chain snarls and the high cost of raw materials. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2022 European colonization had begun around the sixteenth century, but as the North Atlantic economies matured, their need for raw materials from abroad grew more urgent. Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 12 Sep. 2022 Explore the world, mine raw materials and survive the night. Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 12 Sep. 2022 In Nose, Demachy expressed a desire to leave as his legacy a truer connection between the house of Dior and farmers who grow the precious raw materials that make Dior perfumes sing. April Long, Town & Country, 10 Sep. 2022 Central banks worldwide scrambled after being wrong-footed by inflation fed by Russia’s war in Ukraine and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have sent energy prices higher and restricted supplies of parts and raw materials. David Mchugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Sep. 2022 Ebony Day, azcentral, 4 Mar. 2020 Several open pans of raw shelled eggs stored directly above ready-to-eat leafy greens in cooler. Ebony Day, azcentral, 15 Jan. 2020 Employee cracked a raw shelled egg with gloved hands then handled a clean plate and kitchen utensils without washing hands between tasks. Ebony Day, azcentral, 25 Dec. 2019 Tim RoneyGetty Images Her 1995 raw, ragey, best-selling album, Jagged Little Pill, spoke to a generation—and inspired a musical of the same name, opening on Broadway this month. Alanis Morissette, Marie Claire, 8 Nov. 2019 Cooked rice, dosa batter, Biryani, sauces, chicken, shredded cabbage, milk, yogurt and raw shelled eggs not kept cold enough. Ebony Day, azcentral, 19 June 2019 Cartons of raw shelled eggs and tofu at improper temperature. Ryan Santistevan, azcentral, 9 May 2018 The Peanut Barn buys raw shelled peanuts to cook and flavor or grind into paste for its handcrafted and popular Natural Peanut Butter. Robert Anglen, azcentral, 2 Mar. 2018 Or the movie that’s making viewers pass out, like that cannibal horror film Raw. Kenzie Bryant, Vanities, 9 Aug. 2017 See More
Adjective
Ongoing price increases for raw materials — and labor — have left many small businesses struggling. Christopher Rugaber, ajc, 13 Sep. 2022 Ongoing price increases for raw materials — and labor — have left many small businesses struggling. Christopher Rugaber, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Sep. 2022 Chinese exports to Russia of microchips and other electronic components and raw materials, some with military applications, have increased. Keith Zhai, WSJ, 13 Sep. 2022 Tesla raised prices for its cars in the U.S. multiple times this year, most recently in June, citing supply chain snarls and the high cost of raw materials. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2022 European colonization had begun around the sixteenth century, but as the North Atlantic economies matured, their need for raw materials from abroad grew more urgent. Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 12 Sep. 2022 Explore the world, mine raw materials and survive the night. Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 12 Sep. 2022 In Nose, Demachy expressed a desire to leave as his legacy a truer connection between the house of Dior and farmers who grow the precious raw materials that make Dior perfumes sing. April Long, Town & Country, 10 Sep. 2022 Central banks worldwide scrambled after being wrong-footed by inflation fed by Russia’s war in Ukraine and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have sent energy prices higher and restricted supplies of parts and raw materials. David Mchugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Sep. 2022 Noun
Raw beef stored above raw shelled eggs, crab and shrimp. Ebony Day, azcentral, 4 Mar. 2020 Several open pans of raw shelled eggs stored directly above ready-to-eat leafy greens in cooler. Ebony Day, azcentral, 15 Jan. 2020 Employee cracked a raw shelled egg with gloved hands then handled a clean plate and kitchen utensils without washing hands between tasks. Ebony Day, azcentral, 25 Dec. 2019 Tim RoneyGetty Images Her 1995 raw, ragey, best-selling album, Jagged Little Pill, spoke to a generation—and inspired a musical of the same name, opening on Broadway this month. Alanis Morissette, Marie Claire, 8 Nov. 2019 Cooked rice, dosa batter, Biryani, sauces, chicken, shredded cabbage, milk, yogurt and raw shelled eggs not kept cold enough. Ebony Day, azcentral, 19 June 2019 Cartons of raw shelled eggs and tofu at improper temperature. Ryan Santistevan, azcentral, 9 May 2018 The Peanut Barn buys raw shelled peanuts to cook and flavor or grind into paste for its handcrafted and popular Natural Peanut Butter. Robert Anglen, azcentral, 2 Mar. 2018 Or the movie that’s making viewers pass out, like that cannibal horror film Raw. Kenzie Bryant, Vanities, 9 Aug. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English, from Old English hrēaw; akin to Old High German hrō raw, Latin crudus raw, cruor blood, Greek kreas flesh
First Known Use
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
1823, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing raw
Kids Definition
raw
adjective
ˈrȯ
rawer; rawest
1
: not cooked
raw fish
2
: having the skin scraped or roughened
She had raw red hands.
3
: being in or nearly in the natural state : not treated or prepared
raw sewage
4
: not trained or experienced
raw recruits
5
: unpleasantly damp or cold
a raw day
6
: lacking a normal or usual finish
the raw edge of a seam
raw 1 of 2
adjective
1
as in uncooked
not cooked you should wash your hands after handling raw chicken Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- uncooked
- rare
- unheated
- underdone
- half-baked
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- cooked
- boiled
- fried
- roasted
- heated
- burnt
- baked
- grilled
- sautéed
- burned
- broiled
- scorched
- charred
- well-done
- braised
- overdone
- sauteed
2
as in crude
being such as found in nature and not altered by processing or refining raw sugar is honey-colored because the crystals retain cane juices, minerals, and other impurities that haven't been refined out Synonyms & Similar Words
- crude
- natural
- unprocessed
- unrefined
- untreated
- native
- undressed
- unpolished
- undeveloped
- uncooked
- rude
- unfinished
- unfiltered
- in the rough
- in the raw
- impure
- semifinished
- rough-hewn
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- pure
- refined
- processed
- treated
- dressed
- filtered
- purified
3
as in inexperienced
lacking in adult experience or maturity recruiters like to say the military turns raw youths into responsible men and women Synonyms & Similar Words
- inexperienced
- immature
- adolescent
- young
- unripe
- unripened
- unformed
- green
- juvenile
- youthful
- unfledged
- callow
- puerile
- childish
- infantile
- naive
- infantine
- girlish
- boyish
- innocent
- wet behind the ears
- unsophisticated
- unseasoned
- virginal
- babyish
- ingenuous
- maidenly
- tender
- untrained
- youngish
- juvenescent
- untried
- infantilized
- kiddish
- naïve
- unknowing
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ripe
- mature
- experienced
- advanced
- adult
- sophisticated
- precocious
- grown-up
- worldly
- savvy
- knowing
- worldly-wise
4
as in turbulent
marked by wet and windy conditions the day of the funeral turned out to be one of those bleak, blustery, raw winter days that was as gloomy as our spirits Synonyms & Similar Words
- turbulent
- rough
- bleak
- dirty
- snowy
- nasty
- rainy
- foul
- tempestuous
- stormy
- inclement
- windblown
- windswept
- squally
- gusty
- breezy
- hazy
- overcast
- murky
- cloudy
- misty
- blustery
- blustering
- foggy
- blowy
- soupy
- sunless
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- bright
- clear
- fair
- sunny
- unclouded
- cloudless
- sunshiny
- calm
- serene
- placid
- pleasant
- peaceful
- clement
- balmy
- rainless
- halcyon
5
as in chilling
uncomfortably cool evenings in those mountains, even during the summer, tend to be a little raw Synonyms & Similar Words
- chilling
- chilly
- bitter
- bleak
- chill
- cold
- icy
- sharp
- frigid
- crisp
- freezing
- brisk
- arctic
- nippy
- bracing
- frozen
- invigorating
- nipping
- unheated
- rigorous
- glacial
- snappy
- polar
- shivery
- ice-cold
- numbing
- frosty
- iced
- wintry
- subzero
- refrigerated
- coolish
- subfreezing
- frosted
- wintery
- frore
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- warm
- tepid
- heated
- lukewarm
- balmy
- warmed
6
as in biting
causing intense discomfort to one's skin bundle up if you're going sailing, as there's a raw wind out there in the bay Synonyms & Similar Words
- biting
- bitter
- sharp
- penetrating
- cutting
- piercing
- stinging
- keen
- brisk
- shrewd
- caustic
- smarting
- invigorating
- corrosive
- snappy
- tingling
- prickly
- needlelike
- nippy
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- mild
- gentle
- soothing
- balmy
7
as in rampant
showing no signs of being under control a frightening display of raw anger Synonyms & Similar Words
- rampant
- unbridled
- uncontrolled
- unbounded
- abandoned
- runaway
- unrestrained
- unhindered
- unchecked
- intemperate
- unhampered
- uninhibited
- uncontrollable
- wild
- barbaric
- riotous
- ungovernable
- hog wild
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- controlled
- restrained
- checked
- temperate
- hampered
- constrained
- tempered
- hindered
- governed
- moderate
- curbed
- bridled
8
as in naked
lacking or shed of clothing a pristine stretch of sand where beachgoers commonly sunbathe raw Synonyms & Similar Words
- naked
- stripped
- nude
- bare
- stark naked
- undressed
- unclad
- unclothed
- disrobed
- bottomless
- au naturel
- peeled
- mother-naked
- starkers
- denuded
- in the raw
- in the nude
- topless
- seminude
- in the buff
- in the altogether
- unveiled
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- clothed
- invested
- dressed
- clad
- covered
- suited
- veiled
- garbed
- robed
- attired
- decent
- decked (out)
- rigged (out)
- vested
- arrayed
- apparelled
- appareled
- tricked (out)
- caparisoned
raw
2 of 2noun
as in nude
the state of having no clothes on one's body a secluded swimming hole where we could swim in the raw Synonyms & Similar Words
- nude
- nudity
- nakedness
- bottomlessness
- birthday suit
- altogether
- buff
- bareness
- nudism
- naturism
- toplessness
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of raw are crude, rough, and rude. While all these words mean "lacking in social refinement," raw suggests being untested, inexperienced, or unfinished.
turning raw youths into polished performers
The words crude and raw can be used in similar contexts, but crude may apply to thought or behavior limited to the gross, the obvious, or the primitive.
a crude joke
The meanings of rough and raw largely overlap; however, rough is likely to stress lack of polish and gentleness.
rough manners
The words rude and raw are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, rude implies ignorance of or indifference to good form; it may suggest intentional discourtesy.
rude behavior
Phrases Containing raw
- Graphis
- graphite
- graphite blue
- graphites
- graphitic
- graphitic carbon
- graphitisation
- graphitisations
- graphitise
- graphitised
- graphitises
- graphitising
- graphitizable
- graphitization
- graphitizations
- graphitize
- graphitized
- graphitized carbon
- graphitizes
- graphitizing
- graphitoid
- graphitoidal
- Graphium
- graphiums
- grapho