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.
Germany’s lead in chemicals and road vehicles is now paper-thin and it is trailing far behind China in the electrical-equipment market.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 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
"The amount of detail is paper-thin," he said.
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2025
In Arkansas, where we cured our own meat, we ate halfinch slabs of ham for breakfast, but in St. Louis we bought the paper-thin slices in a strange-smelling German store and ate them in sandwiches.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
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.
