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.
Fanatics, just as it did with the Red Sox jersey, also flagged the paper-thin look of uniforms during the design and manufacturing process.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2026
In Tegucigalpa, the nation’s capital from which Hernández left in chains in 2022, Asfura held a paper-thin lead Monday in Honduras’s presidential race.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 2, 2025
Revealing a boundary as fragile as this paper-thin clay layer required painstaking work.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2025
"The amount of detail is paper-thin," he said.
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2025
Scooting on the seat of his pants, Roy made his way toward a paper-thin stripe of light that he assumed was shining through a crack beneath the door.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
