slender
Americanadjective
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having a circumference that is small in proportion to the height or length.
a slender post.
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thin or slight; light and graceful.
slender youths.
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small in size, amount, extent, etc.; meager.
a slender income.
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having little value, force, or justification.
slender prospects.
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thin or weak, as sound.
adjective
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of small width relative to length or height
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(esp of a person's figure) slim and well-formed
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small or inadequate in amount, size, etc
slender resources
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(of hopes, etc) having little foundation; feeble
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very small
a slender margin
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(of a sound) lacking volume
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phonetics (now only in Irish phonology) relating to or denoting a close front vowel, such as i or e
Related Words
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.
Other Word Forms
- slenderly adverb
- slenderness noun
- unslender adjective
Etymology
Origin of slender
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English slendre, sclendre; origin unknown
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.
With long, slender legs and a lightweight frame, it likely moved quickly through vegetation, hunting small reptiles, amphibians, and early mammals.
From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2026
It was his slender body type, natural athleticism and strong technique that made Arutyunyan know the jump many thought was impossible could be done.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026
Ahead of this weekend's trip to third-placed Marseille, Lens have managed to maintain their slender one-point lead in recent weeks to boost their hopes of a second French top-flight title and first since 1998.
From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026
"I looked at my flat, slender belly in the mirror like a dear friend upon whom I was about to close a coffin lid," she later recalled.
From BBC • Dec. 28, 2025
“You—you’re—” Ama leans back and squeezes my slender arms.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
