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thin

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adjective

/θɪn/

adjective	thin
comparative	thinner
superlative	thinnest

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Synonyms

1
a thin object or material has only a short distance between two opposite sides, edges, or surfaces
The box was covered with a thin layer of dust.
There's a thin crack in the glass.
Cut the cucumbers and tomatoes into thin slices.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of thin
1. a.
  someone with thin features has a long narrow mouth, nose etc
  thin lips
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of thin
2
someone who is thin has very little fat on their body
Charles was thin and very tall.
She has been ill and is much too thin.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of thin
1. a.
  a thin part of the body has very little fat on it
  thin bony arms
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of thin
3
thin hair, fur, or plants do not look solid because there are spaces between the individual hairs or leaves
a thin moustache
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4
a thin liquid contains mostly water, so that it flows easily
a plate of meat covered with thin gravy
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5
a thin explanation, argument, statement etc does not have enough evidence or detail to be effective
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6
small in number or amount
Dexter won by a thin margin (=a small number of votes, points etc).
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of thin
7
a thin voice or sound is high and unpleasant to listen to
I heard a thin high cry.
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8
thin air has less oxygen in it than usual
In the mountains, the air is thinner.
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9
if someone gives a thin smile, their lips move but the feeling is not sincere
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of thin

phrases

have a thin skin
informal
to be very sensitive to criticism or insults
If you have a thin skin, you'll never survive in politics.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of thin
into thin air
if something disappears into thin air, it disappears suddenly in a mysterious way
The climbers seem to have disappeared into thin air.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of thin
(skating) on thin ice
doing something dangerous, or something that could have an unpleasant result
He's on thin ice with those accusations.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of thin
out of/from thin air
if something appears from thin air, it appears suddenly in a mysterious way
I can't just make money appear out of thin air.
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thin on the ground
not available in large amounts or numbers
Such experienced nurses are thin on the ground.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of thin
thin on top
humorous
losing your hair
Dad is starting to look a little thin on top.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of thin
a thin time
British informal
a difficult time, especially because there is not much money available
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of thin

derived word

thinness

noun [uncountable]

See also

thinly

Synonyms: thin

Other ways of saying thin

slim thin in an attractive way: He was looking much slimmer after his holiday.

slender thin in a graceful way: a tall slender woman in her late 40s

skinny (informal) too thin: a skinny little boy of about eight

anorexic extremely thin in a way that does not look healthy, also used by doctors to describe someone who has the illness anorexia nervosa: He must have been dieting – he was looking positively anorexic!

lean thin and strong: a lean man wearing a cowboy hat

emaciated extremely thin because you have been ill or do not have enough to eat: emaciated children holding out bowls for food

trim thin in a way that suggests you are careful about what you eat and how much you exercise: His trim figure made him look younger than he was.

gaunt so thin that people can see your bones under your skin: His face was gaunt with lack of sleep.

bony so thin that people can see your bones under your skin: long bony limbs that never seemed to fit his clothes

This is the British English definition of thin. View American English definition of thin.

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View the pronunciation for thin.

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thin

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phrases

have a thin skin

into thin air

(skating) on thin ice

out of/from thin air

thin on the ground

thin on top