thin
Americanadjective
-
having relatively little extent from one surface or side to the opposite; not thick.
thin ice.
-
of small cross section in comparison with the length; slender.
a thin wire.
-
having little flesh; spare; lean.
a thin man.
-
composed of or containing objects, particles, etc., widely separated; sparse.
thin vegetation.
-
scant; not abundant or plentiful.
- Synonyms:
- meager
-
of relatively slight consistency or viscosity.
thin soup.
-
rarefied, as air.
-
without solidity or substance; flimsy.
a very thin plot for such a long book.
- Synonyms:
- weak
-
lacking fullness or volume; weak and shrill.
a thin voice.
-
without force or a sincere effort.
a thin smile.
-
lacking body, richness, or strength.
a thin wine.
-
lacking in chroma; of light tint.
-
Photography. (of a developed negative) lacking in density or contrast through underdevelopment or underexposure.
adverb
-
in a thin manner.
-
sparsely; not densely.
-
so as to produce something thin.
Slice the ham thin.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
adjective
-
of relatively small extent from one side or surface to the other; fine or narrow
-
slim or lean
-
sparsely placed; meagre
thin hair
-
of relatively low density or viscosity
a thin liquid
-
weak; poor; insufficient
a thin disguise
-
(of a photographic negative) having low density, usually insufficient to produce a satisfactory positive
-
mountaineering a climb or pitch on which the holds are few and small
-
few in number; scarce
adverb
verb
Related Words
Thin, gaunt, lean, spare agree in referring to one having little flesh. Thin applies often to one in an unnaturally reduced state, as from sickness, overwork, lack of food, or the like: a thin, dirty little waif. Gaunt suggests the angularity of bones prominently displayed in a thin face and body: to look ill and gaunt. Lean usually applies to a person or animal that is naturally thin: looking lean but healthy after an outdoor vacation. Spare implies a muscular leanness with no diminution of vitality: Lincoln was spare in body.
Other Word Forms
- overthin adjective
- overthinly adverb
- overthinness noun
- self-thinning adjective
- superthin adjective
- thinly adverb
- thinness noun
- unthinned adjective
- unthinning adjective
Etymology
Origin of thin
First recorded before 900; (adjective and adverb) Middle English thyn(ne), Old English thynne; cognate with Dutch dun, German dünn, Old Norse thunnr; (verb) Middle English thynnen, Old English thynnian, derivative of the adjective; compare Middle Dutch dunnen, Old Norse thynna; akin to Old Irish tana, Latin tenuis thin, Greek tany- long
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.
While trading in the fund can be relatively thin, it still provides a useful gauge of conditions for recently public companies.
From Barron's
Instead of stretching and thinning like honey, the tar-like liquids suddenly snapped apart.
From Science Daily
The dough he had been poorly flattening to that point tore at a thin spot, splitting in half before it fell between the grates of the stovetop—straight onto the open flame.
From Literature
I don’t have to see her to know that her lips are pressed into a thin line, the lines around her eyes tight.
From Literature
A thin brass chain dangling from the wire.
From Literature
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.
