Synonyms of close to the bone
57 similar words
Another word for close to the bone is poverty-stricken. Other synonyms of close to the bone are too close for comfort, poor, hard up, almsless and arm.
Synonyms and similar words for close to the bone
adjectivePenetrating and relatable, to the point of causing discomfort.
adjectiveDestitute.
- poor
- hard up
- almslessNot having any alms; impoverished.
- arm
- badly offIn unfortunate circumstances, especially having financial difficulty.
- bankrupt
- beggaredPoor; empoverished.
- beggarly
- boracic
- broke
- broken
- broker than the Ten CommandmentsExtremely impoverished.
- destitute
- dirt poor
- disadvantaged
- down and outIn a condition of poverty or debility, especially as a result of experiencing a financial or personal setback.
- down at heel
- down on one's luckUnlucky or undergoing a period of bad luck, especially with respect to financial matters.
- down on one's uppersImpecunious, lacking money.
- empty-handed
- farthinglessWithout a farthing; very poor.
- feeling the pinch
- flat
- goodless
- impecuniousLacking money.
- impoverished
- in need
- indigent
- insolvent
- lower-class
- moneyless
- necessitous
- needy
- pauperized
- penniless
- penurious
- pinched
- pok kai slangHaving no money; broke; bankrupt.
- poor as a church mouseVery poor, to the point of starving or begging; utterly destitute.
- poor as a ratSynonym of poor as a church mouse.
- poor as JobExtremely poor, destitute.
- possessionlessWithout possessions.
- poverty-ridden
- poverty-strickenVery poor.
- shillinglessWithout a shilling; broke.
- skint
- stone-broke
- stony-broke
- strapped
- unwealthyNot wealthy.
- wealthlessHaving little or no wealth; poor.
- depauperate obsolete
- groatless archaic, rareWithout a groat; very poor.
- oofless UK, datedShort of money; poor.
- stuck archaic, slang
- threadbare archaic, obsolete
Meaning of close to the bone
- adjective Penetrating and relatable, to the point of causing discomfort.
- adjective Destitute.
Questions about synonyms of close to the bone
- What is another word for close to the bone?
- Close to the bone has 57 synonyms on Word.ws, such as poverty-stricken, too close for comfort, poor, hard up, almsless, arm, badly off and bankrupt.
- What does close to the bone mean?
- Close to the bone means penetrating and relatable, to the point of causing discomfort.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: close to the bone (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of close to the bone.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/close_to_the_bone. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.