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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.

This enduring fascination may stem as much from the paper-thin line that separates the two states as it does from our deep-seated fear of both.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 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

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

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.