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thin Definition

thin (t̸hin)

adjective thinner thin′·ner, thinnest thin′·nest

  1. having relatively little depth; of little extent from one surface or side to the opposite thin paper
  2. having relatively small diameter in relation to length thin thread
  3. having little fat or flesh; lean; gaunt; slender
  4. having the constituent elements small in number and not close together; specif.,
    1. scanty in growth; sparsely distributed thin hair
    2. small in size or number thin receipts
    3. lacking body; not thick in consistency; watery thin soup
    4. not dense or heavy thin smoke, a thin snowfall
    5. rarefied, as air at high altitudes
  5. of little intensity; dim; faint; pale thin colors
  6. of little volume or resonance; high-pitched and weak a thin voice
  7. light or sheer, as fabric
  8. easily seen through; flimsy or unconvincing a thin excuse
  9. lacking solidity, substance, or vigor; slight, weak, vapid, etc. a thin plot, thin argument
  10. Photog. lacking in density (sense ): said of an underexposed or underdeveloped negative or print

Etymology: ME thinne < OE thynne, akin to Ger dünn < IE *tenu-, thin < base *ten-, to stretch > L tenuis, thin, tenere, to hold, tendere & Gr teinein, to stretch

adverb thinner thin′·ner, thinnest thin′·nest

in a thin way

transitive verb, intransitive verb thinned, thinning thin′·ning

to make or become thin or thinner, as in dimension, density, etc.

Etymology: ME thinnen < OE (ge)thynnian < the adj.

Related Forms:

thin Synonyms

thin

modif.

  1. Of little thickness

    flimsy, slim, slight, tenuous, attenuated, diaphanous, sheer, rare, sleazy, permeable, paper-thin, wafer-sliced; see also transparent 1.

    Antonyms thick*, heavy*, coarse. *

  2. Slender

    slim, lean, skinny, scraggy, lank, lanky, spindly, spare, gaunt, bony, wan, rangy, skeletal, scrawny, lanky, delicate, wasted, haggard, emaciated, rawboned, shriveled, wizened, rickety, spindling, pinched, starved; see also dainty 1.

    Antonyms fat*, obese*, heavy. *

  3. Sparse

    scarce, insufficient, deficient; see inadequate 1.

  4. Having little content

    sketchy, slight, insubstantial, weak-kneed, vapid, weak, light, feeble, flat, diluted, thinly stretched; see also shallow 1, 2.

    Antonyms thick*, solid*, substantial. *

  5. Having little volume

    faint, shrill, piping, weak, rarefied, tenuous, attenuated, fragile, small, tiny, featherweight, bodiless, disembodied, ethereal, shaky; see also light 7.

    Antonyms thick*, heavy*, dense.

thin Synonyms

thin

v.

expand, thin out, disperse, weed out, dilute, edit, delete, rarefy, reduce, attenuate; see also decrease 2, weaken 2.

thin Usage Examples

Preposition: on

  • ground: Extras are a little thin on the ground, which is a polite way to say there aren't any.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • wear: Remember we still had no heating or hot water the pioneer spirit was beginning to wear a bit thin.

Modifies a noun

  • layer: Turn up the shine with a thin layer of clear lip gloss over lipstick or alone.
  • slice: Cut a thin slice from the top of the onion.
  • strip: A long thin strip of conductive foil moves within a magnetic field to generate a current hence voltage.
  • crack: Step up using the thin vertical crack then traverse into the corner on the right.
  • veneer: For many women, sex equality is a thin veneer which vanishes as soon as they take on caring responsibilities.
  • coating: To provide a reflective surface a thin nickel coating was included.

Used with adjective complement

  • wear: These excuses have now begun to wear thin however.
  • stretch: Our armed forces are stretched rather thin, and there is a limit to how many of these deployments we can sustain.
  • spread: I felt from the beginning that we were going into Chrome spread too thin.
  • stick: As long as you are happy and healthy you don''t need to be stick thin.

Modifying Another Word

  • painfully: She was painfully thin, with a pale, almost yellow complexion.
thin Quotes

Enclosing every thin man, there's a fat man demanding elbow room. See Connolly 233:82, Orwell 628:52.

—Waugh, Evelyn Arthur StJohn

   O hark,O hear! how thin and clear And thinner, clearer, farther going! O sweet and far from cliff and scar The horns of Elfland faintly blowing! Blow, let us hear the purple glens replying: Blow, bugle; answer, echoes, dying, dying, dying.

—Tennyson

Imprisoned inevery fat manathinoneiswildlysignalling to be let out.

—Connolly, Cyril Vernon

No matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney.

—Smith, Al(fred) Emmanuel

   A pallid and thin young man, A haggard and lank young man, A greenery-yallery,Grosvenor Gallery, Foot-in-the-grave young man! A Sewell & Cross young man, A Howell & James young man, A push-ing young par-ti-cleö 'What's the next ar-ti-cle?'ö Wa-ter-loo House young man!

—Gilbert, Sir W(illiam) S(chwenck)

As thin and neat as a furled umbrella.

—Emery,Jane