Raw means uncooked, unprocessed, or in its natural state. Raw carrots haven't been boiled or roasted: they're crunchy and fresh straight from the ground. Raw cookie dough hasn't been baked yet. Sushi often includes raw fish that's been carefully prepared but never heated.

The word extends beyond food. Raw materials are basic substances like iron ore, crude oil, or lumber that haven't been manufactured into finished products yet. A raw recruit in the army is brand new and untrained. Raw footage is film that hasn't been edited. When someone's emotions are raw, they're feeling things intensely and openly, without the usual filters: someone might have raw feelings after losing an important game or saying goodbye to a friend who's moving away.

Raw can also describe something harsh or unrefined. A raw winter wind bites at your face. A raw deal means getting treated unfairly. When your hands are raw from scrubbing dishes in cold water, the skin feels rough, red, and sore.

The word suggests something unfinished, unprotected, or exposed: powerful and real, but it can also feel vulnerable or uncomfortable.