Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

Thesaurus

slender

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of slender

1 being of less than usual width
  • graceful, slender table legs
Synonyms of slender

fine, hairline, narrow, needlelike, paper-thin, skinny, slim, slim-jim, thin, ultrathin
Words Related to slender

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 of slender

chunky, squat, stocky, stumpy, thick, thickset

bulky, massive, voluminous

thickish, widish
Antonyms of slender

broad, fat, wide
2 having a noticeably small amount of body fat
  • The aerobics instructor is slender and athletic.
Synonyms of slender

bony (also boney), fatless, lean, lithe, skinny, slim, spare, svelte, thin
Words Related to slender

clean-limbed, trim

sylphlike, willowy

angular, rawboned, scraggy, scrawny, sinewy, wiry

lank, lanky, rangy, reedy, spindling, spindly, stringy, twiggy, waspish, weedy

anorexic, cadaverous, emaciated, gaunt, haggard, pinched, skeletal, wasted, wizened

meager (or meagre), puny, slight
Near Antonyms of slender

beefy, bulky, chunky, fleshy, heavy, heavyset, stocky, stout, thick, thickset, weighty

brawny, burly, husky

pudgy, roly-poly, squat, stubby

paunchy, potbellied

flabby, soft

full, hippy, round
Antonyms of slender

chubby, corpulent, fat, obese, overweight, plump, portly, rotund, tubby
3 less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable
  • People of slender means simply can't afford those prices.
Synonyms of slender

exiguous, hand-to-mouth, light, meager (or meagre), niggardly, poor, scant, scanty, scarce, skimpy, slim, spare, sparing, sparse, stingy
Words Related to slender

deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, short, wanting

bare, bare-bones

least, littlest, lowest, mere, minimal, slightest
Phrases Synonymous with slender

thin on the ground
Near Antonyms of slender

adequate, enough, satisfactory, sufficient, tolerable

fat, fecund, fertile, fruitful, prolific, rich

lavish, luxuriant

excess, extra, surplus
Antonyms of slender

abundant, ample, bountiful, copious, generous, liberal, plenteous, plentiful

Synonym Discussion of slender

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

Learn More about slender

  1. See words that rhyme with slender Dictionary: Definition of slender Spanish Central: Translation of slender Nglish: Translation of slender for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of slender for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up slender? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games