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

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

During the survey, researchers noticed a skinny fish and identified it as a dorozome lizardfish, the first record of the species from Malaysia. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025

Pay-TV provider Fubo has launched a skinny sports bundle with the goal of delivering an array of programming for sports fans at a reasonable price. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025

Noun

The suspect is described as a Hispanic man in his 20s or early 30s, with a height of 5’10 and a skinny to medium build, according to a press release from the San Jose Police Department. —Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2025

Even if your lime green leopard print skinnies and Obey tees are buried deep in the depths of your closet, stepping back through that threshold might uncover more than your old, tacky but favorite outfits. —Alexandra Jane, Essence, 31 July 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