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Synonyms

skinny

American  
[skin-ee] / ˈskɪn i /

adjective

skinnier, skinniest

  1. very lean or thin; emaciated.

    a skinny little kitten.
    Synonyms:
    scrawny, gaunt, lank

  2. of or like skin.

  3. unusually low or reduced; meager; minimal.

    skinny profits.

  4. (of an object) narrow or slender.

    skinny noodles.

  5. (of garments, especially pants) narrow and very tight-fitting.

    skinny jeans; a skinny tank top.

noun

  1. Slang.

    1. accurate information; data; facts.

    2. news, especially if confidential; gossip.

      Here's the skinny on the latest Hollywood scandal.
skinny British  
/ ˈskɪnɪ /

adjective

  1. lacking in flesh; thin

  2. consisting of or resembling skin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • skinniness noun

Etymology

Origin of skinny

First recorded in 1565–75; skin + -y 1; skinny def. 6 is unclearly derived and perhaps a distinct word

Explanation

Someone who's skinny is thin. Your brother might be skinny enough to fit in the jeans he wore three years ago. A skinny person is slight or lean, and your skinny jeans are tight-fitting. You might order a skinny coffee drink at a cafe, meaning you'd like it to be made with skim milk. If someone offers to give you "the skinny" on something, they're revealing some secret information. This last, informal meaning stems from military slang during World War II, probably from the idea of "naked," or undisguised, truth.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

Iowa farmer Lance Lillibridge told AFP that cattle producers have been "living off very skinny margins" for years.

From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026

For weeks, social-media feeds have been littered with decade-old images of matte makeup, Snapchat filters and skinny jeans.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

The puffin was later collected by the wildlife experts who told her it was skinny and was likely to have been struggling a while.

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026

Among all the patterns identified, the "pancreatic-predominant" and "skinny fat" profiles stood out.

From Science Daily • Jan. 28, 2026

I wrapped one leg around a skinny scrub pine in front of me.

From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles

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.