hairline

American  

[hair-lahyn] / ˈhɛərˌlaɪn /

noun

hairlines plural

1. a very slender line.

2. the lower edge of the hair, especially along the upper forehead.

   a hairline that slowly receded.

3. worsted fabric woven with very fine lines or stripes.

4. Printing.

   1. a very thin line on the face of a type.

   2. a style of type consisting entirely of such lines.

   3. a thin rule for printing fine lines.

   4. undesirable vertical lines between letters, caused by worn matrices.

---

adjective

1. narrow or fine as a hair.

   a hairline fracture.

hairline British  

/ ˈhɛəˌlaɪn /

noun

1. the natural margin formed by hair on the head

2. 1. a very narrow line

   2. ( as modifier )

      a hairline crack

3. printing

   1. a thin stroke in a typeface

   2. any typeface consisting of such strokes

   3. thin lines beside a character, produced by worn or poorly cast type

4. a rope or line of hair

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hairlines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hairline

First recorded in 1725–35; hair + line ¹

Example Sentences

My hair woes started in high school, when I would scrape my curls into a bun and lament how thin my hairline looked.

From Slate • May 23, 2026

Later, he described Robbie Williams as having "more comebacks than his hairline", and said Shaun Ryder and Bez had "aged like service station flowers".

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026

But neither of his grandfathers had much; his father has a receding hairline.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2026

Dodgers catcher Will Smith has a hairline fracture in his right hand and is doubtful to return before the end of the regular season, according to manager Dave Roberts.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2025

When he and G’ma step up to the Superman: Tower of Power—what they've decided will be their final ride—Scoob’s eyebrows shoot up to his hairline.

From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone

Related Words

• delicious
• delightful
• elegant
• exquisite
• fragile
• gentle
• graceful
• mild
• rare
• soft
• subtle
• tender