skinny
Americanadjective
-
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
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:
But if the James move shocked the NBA, no one was surprised by the skinny Slovenian in the yellow jersey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Jeans remain the core of Levi’s business, and skinny, slim, bootcut and straight fits still make up the bulk of its bottoms segment.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Many apartment buildings have a flimsy first floor, propped up by skinny supports to accommodate carports, garages or storefronts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
The small, skinny, teenage midfielder was very protective of his flowing locks.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
Not skinny thin like she used to be when she was a girl, the way the twins are now, but definitely thinner.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
“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 Hakluyt, Richard
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
“The skinnier you are, the more respected and prettier you’re viewed. It’s ridiculous,” Madder said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2025
She’s skinnier than I remember, but other than that she looks fine.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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
And even at my skinniest, I am still morbidly obese.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2025
“Without looking over my shoulder first, it’s one of the first places I ever wore my skinniest pair of jeans without being afraid of what someone might call me.”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 30, 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’m also the tallest, skinniest thing you ever seen.
From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake
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.
