skinny

1 of 2

adjective

skin·​ny ˈski-nē 

skinnier; skinniest

1

: resembling skin : membranous

2

a

: lacking sufficient flesh : very thin : emaciated

b

: lacking usual or desirable bulk, quantity, qualities, or significance

3

of clothes : fitting very close to the body : very tight

skinny jeans

4

: made with skim milk

a skinny latte

skinniness noun

skinny

2 of 2

noun

slang

: inside information : dope

… the straight skinny on what's going on.

—John Geary

Synonyms of skinny

Adjective

• thin
• slender
• narrow

Noun

• scoop
• tip
• rumor
• dope

Choose the Right Synonym for skinny

lean, spare, lank, lanky, gaunt, rawboned, scrawny, skinny mean thin because of an absence of excess flesh.

lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.

a lean racehorse

spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

the gymnast's spare figure

lank implies tallness as well as leanness.

the lank legs of the heron

lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.

a lanky youth, all arms and legs

gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.

a prisoner's gaunt face

rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.

a rawboned farmer

scrawny and skinny imply an extreme leanness that suggests deficient strength and vitality.

a scrawny chicken

skinny street urchins

Examples of skinny in a Sentence

Adjective

the tree swing was supported only by a couple of skinny branches

her grandmother was always insisting that she was too skinny and never tired of trying to force more food on her

Noun

a TV show that offers all the skinny on Tinseltown and the stars that light it up

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Instead of the ultra-skinny silhouette that became synonymous with his early years, the 30-year-old heartthrob gradually gravitated toward a more relaxed, loose-fit aesthetic. —Andre Claudio, Sourcing Journal, 11 Dec. 2025

Just as the design pendulum is swinging from minimalist spaces to a more personalized aesthetic, skinny artificial trees are being replaced by extra-thick greenery for a fuller, more festive look. —Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Dec. 2025

Noun

Black skinnies, in particular, became his unofficial uniform. —Andre Claudio, Sourcing Journal, 11 Dec. 2025

The only way to really make a plan 'skinny' is to charge high deductibles, which many plans on the exchange already do. —Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

perhaps from skin entry 1 + -y entry 4

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1938, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing skinny

• skinny-dip
• the inside/straight/real skinny
• the skinny
• What's the skinny on

Rhymes for skinny

• finny
• ginny
• jinny
• mini
• minnie
• ninny
• pinnae
• spinney
• swinney
• tinny
• whinny
• winnie

Kids Definition

skinny

adjective

skin·​ny

ˈskin-ē

skinnier; skinniest

1

: resembling skin : membranous

a skinny layer

2

: very thin

skinniness noun