WordGarden.ioboneless
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /bˈəʊnləs/
US
- /ˈboʊnləs/
Meanings
Adjective
with the bones removed for cooking or eating
having no bones or seeming limp and weak
Beyond the definition
Most often, this word appears in the kitchen. Boneless chicken, pork, or fish means the bones are removed so the food is easier to handle and eat. In a wider, more figurative sense, it can also describe things that are soft, flexible, or lacking firmness—something that bends instead of holding rigid form, like a jellyfish. It can even hint at weakness in character or ideas, as when someone is described as lacking backbone or conviction.
The word "boneless" literally means without bones, with no mention of bony support or a skeleton. You’ll usually see it in food terms such as boneless chicken breasts, wings, or fish fillets, where the bones have been removed to make eating cleaner and preparation easier.
Outside cooking, the word can describe anything with little firmness or stiffness. Think about jellyfish: no bones, no rigid frame, just smooth, flowing movement. The same idea can describe soft, yielding materials or movements that are easy and loose rather than tight and tense.
In figurative use, "boneless" can point to a lack of backbone, determination, or firmness in a person, plan, or argument. It suggests something weak, flimsy, or not holding together under pressure, rather than something strong and clearly structured.
So when you hear the word, you’ll usually meet it in recipes and menus, but it also works in storytelling and everyday description whenever you want to contrast structure with flexibility or substance with weakness.
Examples
- 1
Chicken
I usually buy boneless chicken thighs because they cook quickly and stay juicy.
- 2
Fish
The recipe works best with boneless fish fillets.
- 3
Menu choice
On the menu, you can choose bone-in or boneless.
- Phrasebone-in or boneless
with the bones left in, or with them removed
- 4
Restaurant food
The kids asked for boneless wings instead of the regular ones.
- Phraseboneless wings
small pieces of chicken without bones, often fried and served like wings
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- bonelessadjective