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thin
[ thin ]
adjective
- having relatively little extent from one surface or side to the opposite; not thick:
thin ice.
- of small cross section in comparison with the length; slender:
a thin wire.
- having little flesh; spare; lean:
a thin man.
- composed of or containing objects, particles, etc., widely separated; sparse:
thin vegetation.
- scant; not abundant or plentiful.
Synonyms: meager
- of relatively slight consistency or viscosity:
thin soup.
- rarefied, as air.
- without solidity or substance; flimsy:
a very thin plot for such a long book.
Synonyms: weak
- lacking fullness or volume; weak and shrill:
a thin voice.
- without force or a sincere effort:
a thin smile.
- lacking body, richness, or strength:
a thin wine.
- lacking in chroma; of light tint.
- Photography. (of a developed negative) lacking in density or contrast through underdevelopment or underexposure.
adverb
- in a thin manner.
- sparsely; not densely.
- so as to produce something thin:
Slice the ham thin.
verb (used with object)
- to make thin or thinner (often followed by down, out, etc.).
verb (used without object)
- to become thin or thinner; become reduced or diminished (often followed by down, out, off, etc.):
The crowd is thinning out.
thin
/ θɪn /
adjective
- of relatively small extent from one side or surface to the other; fine or narrow
- slim or lean
- sparsely placed; meagre
thin hair
- of relatively low density or viscosity
a thin liquid
- weak; poor; insufficient
a thin disguise
- (of a photographic negative) having low density, usually insufficient to produce a satisfactory positive
- mountaineering a climb or pitch on which the holds are few and small
- thin on the groundthin on the ground few in number; scarce
adverb
- in order to produce something thin
to cut bread thin
verb
- to make or become thin or sparse
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Derived Forms
- ˈthinness, noun
- ˈthinly, adverb
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Other Words From
- thinly adverb
- thinness noun
- over·thin adjective
- over·thinly adverb
- over·thinness noun
- self-thinning adjective
- super·thin adjective
- un·thinned adjective
- un·thinning adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of thin1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of thin1
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Idioms and Phrases
- into thin air
- on thin ice
- spread oneself too thin
- through thick and thin
- wear thin
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Synonym Study
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Example Sentences
I tend to use this method when working with far-too-thin gravies and rich, hearty stews where I’ve probably already used some flour earlier in the cooking process but want to thicken it further.
Typically, you’ll find that saving some money means less material, which equals a thinner vest.
On a rainy street I found a suit, hat and tie, all perfectly placed and slumped on a bench, as if their wearer disappeared into thin air.
The IRS staff is stretched thin, meaning there could be delays as the agency juggles both tax filings and stimulus payments.
To combat this, most touch screen gloves are designed thinner.
Also, she was tall and thin, too, further adding to the ways she met the physical beauty conventions.
“I like decorating my slaves,” she said, referencing the rope, her thin, crimson-coated lips peeling off her front teeth.
Cheney is relying on some thin evidence to tie Hussein to al-Qaida.
They were done to give a thin patina of ersatz legitimacy to what is otherwise flagrant sexual assault.
We had a very thin book that we had to create characters with some different complexity.
This has a warm though a thin soil, which must be highly favorable to the Vine to induce so exclusive a devotion to it.
The Princess was pale and thin; and, though dressed superbly, seemed fitter for her chamber.
Her thin and narrow hands held the balcony railing rather tightly.
His slight, thin, rather graceless figure seemed suddenly to expand, even to grow taller.
She saw in the chair a thin, broken figure, a drawn brown face, a wreck of a man.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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