Synonyms of slender

slender

adjective

ˈslen-dər 

1

as in thin

being of less than usual width

graceful, slender table legs

Synonyms & Similar Words

• thin
• narrow
• skinny
• slim
• fine
• needlelike
• tight
• linear
• ultrathin
• paper-thin
• close
• elongate
• spare
• condensed
• compressed
• slim-jim
• tightened
• lanky
• willowy
• squeezed
• hairline
• attenuated
• spindly
• constricted
• wispy
• reedy
• rangy
• stringy
• contracted
• twiggy
• lank
• stalky
• attenuate
• bottleneck
• shoestring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wide
• broad
• fat
• stocky
• thick
• stumpy
• thickset
• chunky
• squat
• voluminous
• bulky
• massive
• thickish
• widish

2

as in skinny

having a noticeably small amount of body fat

unsurprisingly, the aerobics instructor is slender and athletic

Synonyms & Similar Words

• skinny
• thin
• bony
• lean
• slim
• angular
• gaunt
• svelte
• lithe
• skeletal
• trim
• haggard
• fatless
• willowy
• spare
• wiry
• lanky
• scrawny
• sinewy
• spindly
• rawboned
• sylphlike
• reedy
• weedy
• stringy
• lank
• clean-limbed
• twiggy
• rangy
• scraggy
• pinched
• waspish
• anorexic
• emaciated
• meager
• wizened
• puny
• anorectic
• cadaverous
• slight
• spindling
• wasted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• plump
• chubby
• corpulent
• stocky
• rotund
• fat
• thick
• fleshy
• obese
• overweight
• bulky
• stout
• portly
• beefy
• heavy
• gross
• chunky
• thickset
• tubby
• weighty
• heavyset
• burly
• stubby
• brawny
• husky
• pudgy
• dumpy
• squat
• paunchy
• flabby
• soft
• potbellied
• buxom
• full
• round
• roly-poly
• hippy
• zaftig

3

as in sparse

less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable

people of slender means simply can't afford those prices

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sparse
• scarce
• poor
• slim
• meager
• skimpy
• scanty
• small
• lowest
• scant
• light
• short
• lacking
• exiguous
• stingy
• insufficient
• spare
• sparing
• thin
• inadequate
• mere
• thin on the ground
• minimal
• hand-to-mouth
• deficient
• skimp
• least
• slightest
• wanting
• littlest
• bare-bones
• sterile
• bare
• slight
• unfruitful
• barren
• unproductive
• infertile

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• generous
• ample
• abundant
• adequate
• sufficient
• liberal
• plentiful
• copious
• enough
• satisfactory
• bountiful
• rich
• fat
• fertile
• prolific
• fruitful
• tolerable
• plenteous
• lavish
• luxuriant
• extra
• fecund
• flourishing
• bursting
• thriving
• proliferative
• excess
• surplus
• blooming
• teeming
• swarming

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

Recent Examples of slender

These ingredients were ground and washed by hand, stored in ornate vessels and applied with slender sticks—often as part of an intimate, almost ceremonial process passed down through generations of women. —Amelia Dhuga, Vogue, 10 Feb. 2026

Korinek is youthful and slender, with delicate wire-frame glasses and a faintly red beard. —Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026

For the slender area that needs something but not a statement, exactly, this piece fills the space without drawing attention to itself. —Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 5 Feb. 2026

Massive columns, slender spires and impossibly balanced boulders loom above the timber. —Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 29 Jan. 2026