thin

1 of 3

adjective

ˈthin 

thinner; thinnest

1

a

: having little extent from one surface to its opposite

thin paper

b

: measuring little in cross section or diameter

thin rope

2

: not dense in arrangement or distribution

thin hair

3

: not well fleshed : lean

4

a

: more fluid or rarefied than normal

thin air

b

: having less than the usual number : scanty

thin attendance

c

: few in number : scarce

d

: scantily supplied

e

: characterized by a paucity of bids or offerings

a thin market

5

a

: lacking substance or strength

thin broth

a thin plot

b

of a soil : infertile, poor

6

a

: flimsy, unconvincing

a thin disguise

b

: disappointingly poor or hard

had a thin time of it

7

: somewhat feeble, shrill, and lacking in resonance

a thin voice

8

: lacking in intensity or brilliance

thin light

9

: lacking sufficient photographic density or contrast

thinly adverb

thinness

ˈthin-nəs 

noun

thinnish

ˈthi-nish 

adjective

see also:

on thin ice thin on the ground wear thin

thin

2 of 3

verb

thinned; thinning

transitive verb

: to make thin or thinner:

a

: to reduce in thickness or depth : attenuate

b

: to make less dense or viscous

c

: dilute, weaken

d

: to cause to lose flesh

thinned by weeks of privation

e

: to reduce in number or bulk

intransitive verb

1

: to become thin or thinner

2

: to become weak

thin

3 of 3

adverb

thinner; thinnest

: in a thin manner : thinly

—used especially in combination

thin-clad

thin-flowing

Synonyms of thin

Adjective

• skinny
• slender
• bony
• lean
• slim

Verb

• dilute
• cut
• dirty
• load

Choose the Right Synonym for thin

thin, slender, slim, slight, tenuous mean not thick, broad, abundant, or dense.

thin implies comparatively little extension between surfaces or in diameter, or it may imply lack of substance, richness, or abundance.

thin wire

a thin soup

slender implies leanness or spareness often with grace and good proportion.

the slender legs of a Sheraton chair

slim applies to slenderness that suggests fragility or scantiness.

a slim volume of poetry

a slim chance

slight implies smallness as well as thinness.

a slight build

tenuous implies extreme thinness, sheerness, or lack of substance and firmness.

a tenuous thread

Examples of thin in a Sentence

Adjective

a thin coating of dust

pizza with a thin crust

a thin slice of ham

a thin stand of trees

Verb

He added a little more water to thin the gravy.

The haze thinned in the late afternoon.

His face has been thinned by illness.

Adverb

She sliced the cheese thin.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Little by little as the day went on, the ranks of us still in the running grew thinner. — Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026

Saalt Wear leakproof underwear is super comfortable, featuring patented leak technology that's ultra-thin and dry and works for everything from periods to bladder leaks, from teenage years to postmenopause. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

Verb

Communities can reduce their fire risk by thinning out grass, brush, and trees with weed trimmers, mowers, and chainsaws. — Ingfei Chen, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026

Climate change has been thinning the Arctic ice, promising to create a northwest passage for international trade and reigniting competition with Russia, China and other countries over access to the region’s mineral resources. — ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026

Adverb

And, with finances stretched thin, more borrowers are falling behind on their monthly debt payments. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

The chicken is pounded thin before cooking and, at Le Flâneur, is served with Picholine olives, tomato, arugula, and Parmesan. — Colleen McNally Arnett, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English thin, thinne, going back to Old English þynne, going back to Germanic *þunnu- (assimilated to the -ja-stem adjectives in West Germanic, whence Middle Dutch dunne "thin," Old High German dunni, against Old Norse þunnr), generalized from a paradigm *þenu-, *þunw-a-, going back to Indo-European *ténh₂u-, *tn̥h₂u̯ó-, whence also, from with a base *tenh₂u-, *tn̥h₂u- with varying ablaut and suffixation, Old Irish tanae "thin, slender," Old Welsh teneu, Middle Breton tanau, Latin tenuis "fine-drawn, thin, narrow, slight," Greek tanu- "extended, long," tanaós "outstretched, long," Old Church Slavic tĭnŭkŭ "fine, delicate," Russian tónkij "thin," Croatian & Serbian tȁnak, Lithuanian tę́vas, Sanskrit tanúḥ, tánukaḥ "thin, small"

Note: Indo-European *tenh₂u-, *tn̥h₂u- is usually taken to be a derivative of the verbal base *ten- "stretch, extend"; see tenant entry 1.

Verb

Middle English thinnen, going back to Old English þynnian, derivative of þynne thin entry 1

Adverb

Middle English thynne, derivative of thin, thinne thin entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing thin

• disappear/vanish into thin air
• have a thin time (of it)
• into thin air
• on thin ice
• out of thin air
• paper-thin
• razor-thin
• run thin
• the thin end of the wedge
• thick and thin
• thin blue line
• thin film
• thin-layer chromatography
• thin on the ground
• thin skin
• thin-skinned
• thin smile
• through thick and thin
• wafer-thin
• wear thin

Rhymes for thin

• been
• bin
• chin
• din
• djinn
• fin
• finn
• gin
• grin
• in
• kin
• linn

Kids Definition

thin

1 of 2 adjective

ˈthin 

thinner; thinnest

1

: having little extent from one surface to its opposite

thin paper

2

: having widely scattered units

thin hair

3

: having too little flesh

a tall thin boy

4

: less dense than normal

thin air

5

: lacking substance or strength

thin broth

thin excuses

6

: somewhat weak or shrill

a thin voice

thinly adverb

thinness

ˈthin-nəs 

noun

thin

2 of 2 verb

thinned; thinning

1

: to make or become thin

2

: to reduce in number especially to prevent crowding

thin young carrots in the garden