skinny

adjective skin·ny \ ˈski-nē \

Definition of skinny

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

See skinny defined for English-language learners

See skinny defined for kids

Examples of skinny in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of skinny from the Web

Skinny jeans with interest, like torn at the bottom, are the rage too.

— star-telegram, "Looking smart," 28 July 2017
And some members tried to add a few more provisions to the skinny bill, using their leverage to try to strengthen their negotiating positions in conference.

— julia o'donoghue, NOLA.com, "Donald Trump honors 1st responders of Steve Scalise shooting," 27 July 2017
But Wednesday evening, some of the effects of a bill like the skinny repeal became more clear.

— vann r. newkirk ii, The Atlantic, "The Skinny Repeal Gets a Score," 27 July 2017
In cases where information was known about attacking bears' body conditions, 61 percent of those attacking people were found to be in bad shape, either skinny or merely underweight.

— yereth rosen, Alaska Dispatch News, "As sea ice gets scarcer, polar-bear attacks on people become more frequent," 12 July 2017
As a skinny freshman at U.C.L.A., Brett Vroman contributed to that 1975 national title.

— david waldstein, New York Times, "The Exciting Life and Lonely Death of a Basketball Vagabond," 12 July 2017
Go-to outfit: Skinny jeans, a dressy tank top, blazer and heels.

— kirby adams, The Courier-Journal, "Fashion feeds Mayan Cafe owner's need for innovation," 6 July 2017
Neither company has the perfect skinny bundle in my estimation.

— jennifer van grove, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Hey cord-cutters, here come the cable companies," 1 July 2017
Police describe the suspect as a skinny white man about 5 feet, 8-10 inches tall.

— jerzy shedlock, Alaska Dispatch News, "Police: Anchorage store clerk charged for shooting at cigarette thief," 30 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'skinny.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of skinny

circa 1541

skinny Synonyms

Synonyms

fine, hairline, needlelike, paper-thin, narrow, slender, slim, slim-jim, thin, ultrathin

Antonyms

broad, fat, wide

Related Words

attenuate, attenuated, elongate (or elongated), linear; bottleneck, close, compressed, condensed, constricted, contracted, squeezed, tight, tightened; lanky, rangy, reedy, shoestring, spindly, stalky, stringy, twiggy, willowy, wispy; lank, spare

Near Antonyms

chunky, squat, stocky, stumpy, thick, thickset; bulky, massive, voluminous; thickish, widish

Synonym Discussion of 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

skinny

noun

Definition of skinny

slang

:inside information :dope

the straight skinny on what's going on
—John Geary

See skinny defined for English-language learners

Examples of skinny in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of skinny from the Web

Former Indianapolis Colts punter turned Barstool Sports entertainer Pat McAfee is here to tell us the skinny on Andrew Luck's shoulder.

— dakota crawford, Indianapolis Star, "Pat McAfee weighs in on Andrew Luck's ability to start the season," 15 Aug. 2017
Both the Good Waist and Good Legs—two of the brand's hallmark styles—are high-waisted skinnies.

— leeann duggan, Glamour, "'Corset Jeans' Are the Best Thing You've Never Heard Of," 1 Aug. 2017
Whereas the iPhone started smallish for a smartphone and has caved to the pressure to get big, my 2nd-gen Nano skinny and happily proportioned, like a business card that plays Weezer.

— andrew moseman, Popular Mechanics, "I Hate My Phone, But Man, I Loved My iPod Nano," 28 July 2017
What are the building blocks of your style: Skinny jeans, blazers, black dresses, loose blouses, wedge booties/heels.

— kirby adams, The Courier-Journal, "Fashion feeds Mayan Cafe owner's need for innovation," 6 July 2017
The skinny: Hinch pushed for leadership and better quality at-bats.

— tom verducci, SI.com, "Mid-Year Report: Aaron Judge shines, Cubs flail in homer-happy first half of 2017 season," 5 July 2017
A few feet behind would be Cohn, skinny, eyes darting, his features slightly caved in from plastic surgery.

— marie brenner, The Hive, "How Donald Trump and Roy Cohn’s Ruthless Symbiosis Changed America," 4 July 2017
Plays hard and is reliable on the forecheck Roope Laavainen Defenseman, Round 4, 119 Junior team: Jokerit (Finland) Skinny: Continued a trend for the Hawks in this draft of drafting right-handed defenseman.

— chris hine, chicagotribune.com, "Blackhawks make eight picks on second day of NHL draft," 24 June 2017
Skinny: Excellent on power plays, good offensive instincts, good skater considering size and has a scorer’s instinct.

— helene st. james, Detroit Free Press, "2017 NHL draft: Possible first-round targets for Detroit Red Wings," 22 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of skinny

perhaps from ¹skin + ⁴-y

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1938

See Words from the same year

skinny Synonyms

Synonyms

book, 411 [slang], inside, lowdown, poop [slang], scoop, dope [slang], tip

Related Words

dirt, dish, gossip, rumor, story; hint, pointer; information, intelligence, news, tidings, word

Near Antonyms

ancient history, open secret

SKINNY Defined for English Language Learners

skinny

adjective

Definition of skinny for English Language Learners

: very thin or too thin

SKINNY Defined for Kids

skinny

adjective skin·ny \ ˈski-nē \

Definition of skinny for Students

skinnier; skinniest

:very thin

skinny legs

Learn More about skinny

See words that rhyme with skinny Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for skinny Spanish Central: Translation of skinny Nglish: Translation of skinny for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of skinny for Arabic speakers

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skinny

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skinny

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