bone tired

USAGE SUMMARY

"bone tired" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe an extreme level of fatigue or exhaustion. Example: After the long hike, I felt bone tired and could barely keep my eyes open. Alternative expressions include "dead tired" and "exhausted."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

24 human-written examples

That, and probably he was bone tired.

The New York Times - Magazine

Sure, it was past midnight and we were bone tired.

The New York Times

Instead, we will sit in the autumn sunshine and enjoy being bone tired, harvesting our fatigue.

The New York Times

He will feel rejected, humiliated, victimized, angry, cheated, ashamed, lonely -- and bone tired.

The New York Times

Amr's mother, Myasaa Abdel Hamid, is four months' pregnant and bone tired.

The Guardian

I was bone tired but happy to have experienced a year of seasons in one summer's day.

The New York Times - Travel

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

36 human-written examples

There are mornings Tamia will wake up feeling bone-tired no matter how many hours she has slept.

The New York Times - Sports

And I've tried many, many, many times to explain what a moment like that means to a little girl — a kid watching from the cheap seats, as my mom came through the door bone-tired from cleaning other people's houses.

The New York Times

As it turned out, that was an unappealing proposition, and I was bone-tired from having not slept the night before.

Vice

She talked about her parents coming home from work "weary and bone-tired" but still showing her and her siblings all that they could be.

HuffPost

And add the fact that I was just bone-tired.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Reserve this phrase for creative writing, journalism, or informal storytelling, as it adds a visceral, descriptive layer that the simple word "tired" lacks.

Common error

Avoid using a hyphen when "bone tired" follows a verb as a predicate adjective (e.g. "I was bone tired"). Reserve the hyphen for when it acts as a compound modifier directly before a noun (e.g. "the bone-tired worker").

Linguistic Context

The phrase "bone tired" functions as an intensive adjectival phrase. In this construction, the noun "bone" acts as an adverbial intensifier for the adjective "tired", similar to phrases like "stone cold" or "ice cold". According to Ludwig AI, it is a standard and correct way to describe profound exhaustion.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

85%

Wiki

8%

Formal & Business

7%

Less common in

Science

2%

Academia

2%

Encyclopedias

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "bone tired" is a robust and widely accepted idiomatic expression used to denote an extreme level of fatigue. Ludwig AI confirms that it is grammatically correct and highly effective for adding descriptive depth to writing. It appears frequently in prestigious publications, indicating that while it is an idiom, it is sophisticated enough for professional journalism. The phrase is most commonly used in the predicate position without a hyphen, though the hyphenated version "bone-tired" is required when modifying a noun directly. Overall, it is a powerful linguistic tool for conveying the sensation of being "bone tired", suggesting a weariness that permeates one's entire being.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

bone-weary

Uses a slightly more formal synonym for tired to convey a similar poetic weight

dead tired

Common informal idiom using dead as an intensifier

exhausted

Standard vocabulary term describing a total loss of energy

dog-tired

Traditional idiom implying extreme weariness through an animal metaphor

worn out

Phrasal verb indicating that one's energy has been completely used up

fatigued

A more clinical or formal term for being very tired

spent

Metaphorical usage implying all energy reserves have been paid out

drained

Focuses on the feeling of energy having been emptied from the body

shattered

Common British English idiom for feeling broken by exhaustion

knackered

Very informal British slang for being extremely tired

FAQs

What does "bone tired" mean?

It refers to a state of being extremely "exhausted" or "fatigued" to the point where the weariness feels deep and physical.

Is it "bone tired" or "bone-tired"?

Both are correct depending on the sentence structure. Use "bone-tired" with a hyphen when it comes before a noun, but leave it as two separate words after a verb.

What is a more formal way to say "bone tired"?

In professional contexts, you might prefer terms like "utterly drained" or "physically depleted".

Can I use "bone weary" instead?

Yes, "bone weary" is a perfect synonym that carries the same level of intensity and descriptive quality.