thin

[ thin ]

adjective

, thin·ner, thin·nest.

1. having relatively little extent from one surface or side to the opposite; not thick:

   thin ice.

2. of small cross section in comparison with the length; slender:

   a thin wire.

3. having little flesh; spare; lean:

   a thin man.

   Synonyms: scrawny, lank, skinny, slender, slim

4. composed of or containing objects, particles, etc., widely separated; sparse:

   thin vegetation.

5. scant; not abundant or plentiful.

   Synonyms: meager

6. of relatively slight consistency or viscosity:

   thin soup.

7. rarefied, as air.
8. without solidity or substance; flimsy:

   a very thin plot for such a long book.

   Synonyms: weak

9. lacking fullness or volume; weak and shrill:

   a thin voice.

10. without force or a sincere effort:

    a thin smile.

11. lacking body, richness, or strength:

    a thin wine.

12. lacking in chroma; of light tint.
13. Photography. (of a developed negative) lacking in density or contrast through underdevelopment or underexposure.

adverb

1. in a thin manner.
2. sparsely; not densely.
3. so as to produce something thin:

   Slice the ham thin.

verb (used with object)

, thinned, thin·ning.

1. to make thin or thinner (often followed by down, out, etc.).

verb (used without object)

, thinned, thin·ning.

1. to become thin or thinner; become reduced or diminished (often followed by down, out, off, etc.):

   The crowd is thinning out.

thin

/ θɪn /

adjective

1. of relatively small extent from one side or surface to the other; fine or narrow
2. slim or lean
3. sparsely placed; meagre

   thin hair

4. of relatively low density or viscosity

   a thin liquid

5. weak; poor; insufficient

   a thin disguise

6. (of a photographic negative) having low density, usually insufficient to produce a satisfactory positive
7. mountaineering a climb or pitch on which the holds are few and small
8. thin on the ground
   few in number; scarce

adverb

1. in order to produce something thin

   to cut bread thin

verb

1. to make or become thin or sparse

Derived Forms

• ˈthinly, adverb
• ˈthinness, noun

Other Words From

• thinly adverb
• thinness noun
• over·thin adjective
• over·thinly adverb
• over·thinness noun
• self-thinning adjective
• super·thin adjective
• un·thinned adjective
• un·thinning adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of thin¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of thin¹

Old English thynne; related to Old Frisian thenne, Old Saxon, Old High German thunni, Old Norse thunnr, Latin tenuis thin, Greek teinein to stretch

Idioms and Phrases

• into thin air
• on thin ice
• spread oneself too thin
• through thick and thin
• wear thin

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Just remember: “Evolution does not necessarily reward intelligence. With no natural predators to thin the herd, it began to simply reward those who reproduced the most, and left the intelligent to become an endangered species.”

From Salon

The panelists are not in agreement about the overall quality of the year’s slate, though: “It was a thin year for exceptional animation but not for profitable animation,” says Tim Cogshell.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Ramaswamy has already outlined his support for five-day workweeks at federal agencies, telling Tucker Carlson recently that such a mandate could lead to a “25 percent thinning out of the federal bureaucracy.”

From New York Times

The structure that allows the chloroplast to make these necessary changes was found to be a network of thin filaments.

From Science Daily

That suggests early inhabitants used fire more often in heavily forested landscapes to thin them out, Adeleye says.

From Science Magazine

Related Words

• delicate
• fragile
• gaunt
• lean
• meager
• narrow
• skinny
• slim
• small