slimmer

[slim-er]

See more synonyms for slimmer on Thesaurus.com

noun British.

a person who is trying to lose weight, especially by dieting.

Origin of slimmer

slim + -er¹

slim

[slim]

adjective, slim·mer, slim·mest.

slender, as in girth or form; slight in build or structure.
poor or inferior: a slim chance; a slim excuse.
small or inconsiderable; meager; scanty: a slim income.
sized for the thinner than average person.

verb (used with object), slimmed, slim·ming.

to make slim.

verb (used without object), slimmed, slim·ming.

to become slim.
Chiefly British. to try to become more slender, especially by dieting.

noun

a garment size meant for a thin person.

Verb Phrases

slim down,
1. to lose weight, especially intentionally.
2. (of a business) to reduce operating expenses; economize.

Origin of slim

1650–60; < Dutch slim sly, (earlier) crooked (cognate with German schlimm bad, (earlier) crooked)

Related formsslim·ly, adverbslim·ness, nounun·slim, adjectiveun·slim·ly, adverbun·slim·ness, nounun·slimmed, adjective

Synonyms for slim

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1. thin. See slender. 3. insignificant, trifling, trivial, paltry.

Antonyms for slim

1. fat. 3. considerable; abundant.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for slimmer

attenuate, beanpole, fine, insubstantial, lean, lithe, narrow, skeleton, skinny, slight, spare, stick, svelte, tenuous, trim, willowy, twiggy, threadlike, beanstalk, reedy

Examples from the Web for slimmer

Contemporary Examples of slimmer

The margin was slimmer than expected, but the Republican still lost in Virginia.
Ken Cuccinelli Loses Narrowly to Terry McAuliffe for Virginia Governor
Ben Jacobs
November 6, 2013
The reflection she sees is slimmer and more beautiful, thus her ego is equated to the potent drug.
The Art of Voyeurism
Paul Laster
April 22, 2010
Especially after all those wasted hours trying to look younger, slimmer, and better dressed just to get their rightful desserts.
Boyle and the Invisible Women
Tina Brown
April 20, 2009

Historical Examples of slimmer

He was a slimmer, younger, but less good-looking edition of Nigel.
Bird of Paradise
Ada Leverson
At this juncture Commandant Schalk-Burger grew "slimmer" than ever.
South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. 2 (of 6)
Louis Creswicke
Feverishly the hunter cast about for another trail, smaller and slimmer.
In the Morning of Time
Charles G. D. Roberts
He was paler, slimmer and altogether more effective than before.
The Gay Gnani of Gingalee
Florence Huntley
So, too, was a slimmer young man with a freckled Irish face.
The Arrow of Fire
Roy J. Snell

British Dictionary definitions for slimmer

slim

adjective slimmer or slimmest

small in width relative to height or length
small in amount or qualityslim chances of success

verb slims, slimming or slimmed

to make or become slim, esp by diets and exercise
to reduce or decrease or cause to be reduced or decreased

Word Origin for slim

C17: from Dutch: crafty, from Middle Dutch slimp slanting; compare Old High German slimbi obliquity

Slim

noun

the E African name for AIDS

Word Origin for Slim

from its wasting effects

Slim

noun

William Joseph, 1st Viscount. 1891–1970, British field marshal, who commanded (1943–45) the 14th Army in the reconquest of Burma (now called Myanmar) from the Japanese; governor general of Australia (1953–60)

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

Word Origin and History for slimmer

slim

adj.

1650s, "thin, slight, slender," from Dutch slim "bad, sly, clever," from Middle Dutch slim "bad, crooked," from Proto-Germanic *slembaz "oblique, crooked" (cf. Middle High German slimp "slanting, awry," German schlimm "bad, cunning, unwell"). In English 17c. also sometimes with a sense "sly, cunning, crafty." Related: Slimly; slimness. With obsolete extended adjectival forms Slimsy "flimsy, unsubstantial" (1845); slimikin "small and slender" (1745). Slim Jim attested from 1887 in sense of "very thin person;" from 1902 as a type of slender cigar; from 1975 as a brand of meat snack.

slim

1808, "to scamp one's work, do carelessly or superficially," from slim (adj.). Meaning "to make slim" (a garment, etc.) is from 1862; meaning "reduce (one's) weight" is from 1930. Related: Slimmed; slimming.