slender

[ slen-der ]

adjective

, slen·der·er, slen·der·est.

1. having a circumference that is small in proportion to the height or length:

   a slender post.

2. thin or slight; light and graceful:

   slender youths.

   Antonyms: stocky, fat

3. small in size, amount, extent, etc.; meager:

   a slender income.

4. having little value, force, or justification:

   slender prospects.

   Synonyms: trifling, trivial

5. thin or weak, as sound.

   Synonyms: flimsy, delicate, fine, feeble, fragile

slender

/ ˈslɛndə /

adjective

1. of small width relative to length or height
2. (esp of a person's figure) slim and well-formed
3. small or inadequate in amount, size, etc

   slender resources

4. (of hopes, etc) having little foundation; feeble
5. very small

   a slender margin

6. (of a sound) lacking volume
7. phonetics (now only in Irish phonology) relating to or denoting a close front vowel, such as i or e

Derived Forms

• ˈslenderness, noun
• ˈslenderly, adverb

Other Words From

• slender·ly adverb
• slender·ness noun
• un·slender adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of slender¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English slendre, sclendre; origin unknown

Word History and Origins

Origin of slender¹

C14 slendre, of unknown origin

Synonym Study

Slender, slight, slim imply a tendency toward thinness. As applied to the human body, slender implies a generally attractive and pleasing thinness: slender hands. Slight often adds the idea of frailness to that of thinness: a slight, almost fragile, figure. Slim implies a lithe or delicate thinness: a slim and athletic figure.

Example Sentences

Bright flowers fringed the patio, and slender trees cast ragged patches of shade on the sidewalk.

From ProPublica

At 73, Rhodes-Johnson wore her blond hair swept back, slender hoops in her ears.

From ProPublica

From a bite of cracker they are able to extract all of the nourishment that simply slides unabsorbed through the digestive tract of slender types.

From Nautilus

The slender body of the pen also feels lightweight and looks sophisticated, and the whole set can be stored easily, too.

From Popular-Science

Recent studies have begun to identify the cells in the olfactory epithelium, a slender sheet of tissue that lines part of the nasal cavity, that seem vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

From Science News

They are always suspended over a precipice, dangling by a slender thread that shows every sign of snapping.

From The Daily Beast

Both are slender, toned, and have the butts of Victoria Secret models.

From The Daily Beast

A fat red turret squatted at each corner of the building; six slender ones overlooked the parapets and gables.

From The Daily Beast

It had an unusual appearance created by its long, slender wings.

From The Daily Beast

Maps, frequently based on slender suppositions, were cued up.

From The Daily Beast

Under the one-sixth they appear as slender, highly refractive fibers with double contour and, often, curled or split ends.

From Project Gutenberg

One would not have wanted her white neck a mite less full or her beautiful arms more slender.

From Project Gutenberg

He saw a large building, in front of which were long, slender strips of shining steel.

From Project Gutenberg

Rarely, sodium urate occurs in crystalline form—slender prisms, arranged in fan- or sheaf-like structures (Fig. 32).

From Project Gutenberg

The individual prisms are usually slender, with one beveled, wedge-like end, but are sometimes needle-like.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• delicate
• fragile
• frail
• lanky
• lithe
• meager
• narrow
• skinny
• slight
• slim
• svelte
• wiry
• wispy