1
2
3

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective slender contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of slender are slight, slim, tenuous, and thin. While all these words mean "not thick, broad, abundant, or dense," slender implies leanness or spareness often with grace and good proportion.

the slender legs of a Sheraton chair

When is slight a more appropriate choice than slender?

The words slight and slender are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, slight implies smallness as well as thinness.

a slight build

When would slim be a good substitute for slender?

The words slim and slender can be used in similar contexts, but slim applies to slenderness that suggests fragility or scantiness.

a slim volume of poetry
a slim chance

In what contexts can tenuous take the place of slender?

Although the words tenuous and slender have much in common, tenuous implies extreme thinness, sheerness, or lack of substance and firmness.

a tenuous thread

When might thin be a better fit than slender?

While the synonyms thin and slender are close in meaning, 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

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of slender Minimalist rooms From $200 Book now With just 31 rooms spread across 10 floors, Tsuki is a slender boutique hotel tucked into the quiet backstreets between Tsukiji Market and Ginza. Yukari Sakamoto, AFAR Media, 27 May 2025 Taper: Taper candles are long, slender candles with a wider base and a narrow top. Maya Handelsman, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 June 2025 Consequently, the rollers became more and more narrow, until all that remained was a slender bar capped on both ends by large discs. Kai James, The Conversation, 11 June 2025 The Brewers don’t even want the slender 6-foot-7 right-hander throwing that fast all the time. Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for slender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slender
Adjective
  • The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 18 June 2025
  • Though no longer lofty, at close range these mountains are still impressive and assertive, rising in sheer cliffs hundreds of feet high above the beating surf, bare rock capped by a thin layer of soil and long grassy turf, spilling dozens of small cascades over and down narrow ravines into the sea.
    Robert Finch June 18, Literary Hub, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • Trying to shove your lower leg into something like skinny jeans or a condom could end up cutting off blood flow, which clearly would not be good for your calf.
    Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
  • Each wave of skinny fixation has echoed like a cultural recoil — a shrinking aesthetic that emerges just as women expand their influence Advertisement But something is shifting.
    Anne Marie Chaker, Time, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • This is an area of space where gas in the interstellar medium is relatively sparse, with an overall low density.
    Keith Cooper, Space.com, 16 June 2025
  • Seek out tacit knowledge that is not documented anywhere or is sparse but will be key in driving successful autonomous decisions. 4.
    Lucas Persona, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
Adjective
  • The Democratic primary for the New York City mayor’s race has tightened further in the latest Marist Poll, with former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ahead but with a narrower lead.
    Jared Gans, The Hill, 18 June 2025
  • This is due to the narrow percentage of Black filmmakers who have been given the space to make and distribute films for theatrical release.
    Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • Lift your hips off the ground and place a block underneath your sacrum, the widest, boniest part of your pelvis.
    Cory Martin, Verywell Health, 16 Oct. 2024
  • Differences in Adult Bones That being said, some adults are bonier than others.
    Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 3 Nov. 2023
Adjective
  • High-Potential, Untapped Markets I’m inspired by what others ignore—those quiet gaps where attention is scarce but potential is high, like a niche market with growing demand but little innovation.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
  • Evidence for the exact state of health of prehistoric humans is scarce.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • Men with aviator glasses and handlebar moustaches, leather jackets, jeans, or flannel walk down the street, lean against storefronts and lampposts.
    Hazlitt, Hazlitt, 25 June 2025
  • What’s rising in the aftermath is a new breed of giving that is leaner, faster, and built on the principles of decentralization, distribution, and data.
    Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Adjective
  • That first leg ended 1-0 — a slim aggregate lead — and in the second leg back on Kiwi soil, the Australians won 2-0 with one of their goals a cruel deflection.
    Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 21 June 2025
  • At a Knicks playoff game, Bad Bunny sported his own Adidas collaboration (a flex!): a slim, yellow striped sneaker.
    Christian Allaire, Vogue, 20 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slender. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on slender

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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