thick skin


Insensitivity to criticism or insult, as in You can tell him exactly what you think of his new piece; unlike most composers he has a thick skin. This term transfers an impervious outer coating to mental or emotional toughness. [Mid-1500s]

Words Nearby thick skin

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

How to use thick skin in a sentence

  • Three of these knobs are furnished with points, which form an instrument well fitted to operate upon a hard thick skin.

    The Insect World | Louis Figuier
  • The flavor is good but the thick skin and muskiness in taste are objectionable.

    The Grapes of New York | U. P. Hedrick
  • He also had a fairly thick skin, and such remarks failed to penetrate it.

    The Sweep Winner | Nat Gould