paper-thin
Americanadjective
-
extremely thin.
a paper-thin razor blade.
-
inadequate or unconvincing; flimsy.
a paper-thin excuse.
Etymology
Origin of paper-thin
First recorded in 1925–30
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Gas-injected foams and paper-thin uppers make high-tech shoes lighter than ever before—and records are tumbling just as fast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
Sourced from South Africa, Benguela sea salt flakes are paper-thin and have a lovely texture, especially when used as a finishing salt.
From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025
Revealing a boundary as fragile as this paper-thin clay layer required painstaking work.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2025
He has argued that Gascón’s analysis of the case was paper-thin, questioned the validity of their self-defense claims and repeatedly insisted the brothers had lied about the circumstances of the shooting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2025
I can now see that the hallway is normal sized and has only four doorways, and DD is a shriveled, gray-haired woman with paper-thin wings and rotting horns.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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.
