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Prepositions after adjectives

Raw in, raw for, or raw with?

Raw can combine with several prepositions, but the meaning changes. Raw in refers to lack of experience, raw for is uncommon, and raw with describes strong emotion or physical condition.

Quick answer

Quick answer

Use raw in for inexperience in a skill or subject. Use raw with for strong emotion, pain, or exposure. Raw for is uncommon and usually sounds unnatural unless for introduces a separate purpose phrase.

He is still raw in management.
Her hands were raw with cold.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
raw in + field

Lacking experience

Use raw in to describe someone inexperienced in an area or activity.

The intern was raw in sales.
She felt raw in public speaking.
2
raw with + emotion or condition

Showing strong feeling or damage

Use raw with for intense emotion, pain, cold, or physical irritation.

The country was raw with grief.
His skin became raw with irritation.
3
raw from + cause

Describing a physical result

Raw from is a common alternative for physical irritation caused by something.

My hands were raw from washing dishes.
Her throat felt raw from coughing.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
raw in
She is still raw in politics.
inexperienced in a field
raw with
The community was raw with anger.
full of strong emotion or irritation
raw for
The phrase raw for is generally not idiomatic as a fixed adjective pattern.
usually avoided unless for starts a separate purpose phrase

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using raw for to mean inexperienced

English normally uses raw in for lack of experience.

✕ raw for teaching ✓ raw in teaching

Confusing raw with physical location

In raw in, the preposition refers to a field or activity, not a place.

✓ He is raw in finance

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The new employee was raw ___ customer service.
2. Their emotions were raw ___ shock.
3. My skin felt raw ___ the strong soap.

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Frequently asked questions

Can raw with describe emotions?

Yes. It often describes intense feelings such as grief, anger, or pain.

Is raw for natural English?

Usually no. It is not a standard fixed combination with raw.

What does raw in mean?

It means inexperienced or not yet fully developed in a skill or subject.

racist-in-against-for-to, towards "radical in" or "radical for"? rampant in, among, with, on or throughout? "rare in" or "rare for"? "rational for" or "rational in"? reachable by, from, on, in or through? "reactive to", "reactive rather" or "reactive in"? ready for, to, in, at or by? "realistic about" or "realistic in"? "real to", "real for" or "real in"? rearing of, as or on? "reasonable for" or "reasonable in"?

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