skinny
Americanadjective
-
skinnier,
comparative
-
skinniest
superlative
-
very lean or thin; emaciated.
a skinny little kitten.
-
of or like skin.
-
unusually low or reduced; meager; minimal.
skinny profits.
-
(of an object) narrow or slender.
skinny noodles.
-
(of garments, especially pants) narrow and very tight-fitting.
skinny jeans; a skinny tank top.
noun
-
skinnies
plural
adjective
-
lacking in flesh; thin
-
consisting of or resembling skin
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
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.
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.
See Examples For:
There were handheld American flags on skinny sticks, midsize ones to display on a wall and majestic formal flags adorned with silky gold fringe.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Low-rise skinny jeans may be out and High School Musical may no longer top the charts, but 2006 may be a portent nevertheless.
From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026
Growing up she was skinny brow queen with big curly hair.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Only scouts and insiders were aware of a skinny winger who had previously played for Florida-based DME Academy, more renowned for its basketball programme.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
I recognized the skinny man behind the ticket window.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
“It skinnies it a bit to make it a little more palatable going forward, but it focuses on some of our youngest learners and our highest-poverty elementary schools,” Riccelli said.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 2, 2023
To loose-fit evangelists who have — since at least 2020, when comfort became the priority during pandemic lockdowns and denim brands struggled for survival — been declaring skinnies uncool, that may come as a surprise.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 27, 2023
The last thing he wants is for developers to swoop in and demolish buildings that could be saved, just to make way for tall skinnies and Airbnb’s.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 15, 2020
Casting aside the signature skinnies and grinnies that characterize the glossy pages of Elle and Vogue, Mirabella in its fashion pages features lesser-known models with figures of more realistic proportions.
From Time Magazine Archive
They cloth themselues with the skinnies of those beasts, because they haue nothing else to make them apparell withall.
From The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation. Vol. XIII. America. Part II. by Richard Hakluyt
Type B communities offer a skinnier version of the lifecare contract.
From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026
Coca-Cola is selling soda in skinnier, cheaper bottles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Notably, the whales observed are skinnier than they normally would be at this time of year, Slaathaug and several other researchers tell the BBC.
From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2026
But it’s not just that his paychecks have grown considerably skinnier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2025
His face was a little wrinkled now and he was much skinnier than when I had last seen him.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
It can claim to be one of Britain's skinniest homes, but there was plenty of interest when a house in the south Wales valleys sold for just under £45,000, around twice the estimate.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026
“I do work out. I work out every single day. I’m just not working out to be in the skinniest shape of my life, I’m working out to be the best golfer I can be.”
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 25, 2022
I sneaked bread to the skinniest cows and mourned the death of each chicken, goat and dog.
From New York Times ● Jul. 31, 2020
I’ve also found that the skinniest, prettiest person in the room is oftentimes the saddest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 10, 2019
I’m also the tallest, skinniest thing you ever seen.
From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake
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