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Synonyms

paper-thin

American  
[pey-per-thin] / ˈpeɪ pərˈθɪn /

adjective

  1. extremely thin.

    a paper-thin razor blade.

  2. 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.

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

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

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.