Meaning & use
thin
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Having a small distance between two opposite surfaces, so not thick or heavy.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: a thin blanket, the ice is thin.
Patterns
- a thin layer of something
- thin as something
She spread a thin layer of butter on the toast.
The walls in this flat are very thin.
He wore only a thin jacket in the snow.
adjectivecomparable
Having little body fat, so looking narrow or slightly underweight.
Grammar: Describes a person or animal: a thin man; can sound blunt.
Patterns
- look thin
- get thinner
He looked thin after weeks of illness.
The stray dog was thin but friendly.
She is tall and thin.
adjectivecomparable
Watery or weak, lacking the usual thickness, strength, or substance.
Grammar: Applies to liquids, air, or arguments: thin soup, a thin excuse.
Patterns
- thin on something
The soup was too thin to be filling.
Their excuse sounded thin.
Breathing is hard in the thin mountain air.
Word forms
| comparative | thinner |
|---|---|
| superlative | thinnest |
Common combinations
- thin slice
- Cut the cheese into thin slices.
- thin ice
- Don't walk on the thin ice.
- wafer thin
- The crackers were wafer thin.
- thin excuse
- His thin excuse fooled nobody.
- thin on top
- My uncle is getting a bit thin on top.
Synonyms and how they differ
- slim
- Slim is a pleasant word for an attractive, narrow build, so it is kinder than thin for people.
- skinny
- Skinny suggests too thin and is often rude or informal.
- slender
- Slender suggests a graceful narrowness and is usually a compliment.
- fine
- Fine describes very narrow strands such as hair or thread, not thickness of an object in general.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: thin or thinner/slimmer?
thin vs thinner/slimmer
Thinner is a plain comparison; slimmer is a more flattering way to speak about someone's shape.
Practice
The tablecloth was so ____ that you could see the wood through it.
Choose one answer.
Thin fits something with little thickness that lets things show through. Tall and empty do not describe cloth this way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “thin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.