1
: having a thin skin or rind
thin-skinned oranges
2
: unduly susceptible to criticism or insult : touchy

Examples of thin-skinned in a Sentence

she only laughed at the teasing, but a more thin-skinned person would have gotten angry
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Martin Winkler, Fort Lauderdale Protecting PBS, NPR Americans have never elevated a more thin-skinned, petulant person to the presidency than the current guy. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 May 2025 Matt and his direct reports quickly reveal themselves to be spineless, self-important, thin-skinned, and out of touch. Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 5 May 2025 Poilievre and DeSantis, both infamously thin-skinned, are the epitome of being able to dish it out but not take it. Drew Nelles, Time, 28 Apr. 2025 With their thousands of submunitions or fragments, the M30 and the larger Army Tactical Missile System rocket—fired by the same launchers—are optimized for strikes on thin-skinned targets. David Axe, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025 At the same time, Barnes was a crank of operatic grandiosity—thin-skinned, bellicose, distrustful, fickle, and vindictive. Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2025 Beyond the drinks and the jokes, one of the hardest lessons he’s learned is how thin-skinned artists can be—especially when the cameras are rolling. Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 29 Jan. 2025 Reed characterizes the Republican response as thin-skinned. Matthew Carey, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2025 This is the same thin-skinned coach who this year closed practice to the media, the same one who last year suspended a Southern California New Group reporter for alleged violations of the program’s media policy. Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of thin-skinned was in 1598

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Thin-skinned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thin-skinned. Accessed 21 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

thin-skinned

adjective
ˈthin-ˈskind
1
: having a thin skin
thin-skinned oranges
2
: easily bothered by criticism or insult

More from Merriam-Webster on thin-skinned

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