Definition of slimnext
1
2
3
4

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective slim contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of slim are slender, slight, tenuous, and thin. While all these words mean "not thick, broad, abundant, or dense," slim applies to slenderness that suggests fragility or scantiness.

a slim volume of poetry
a slim chance

When is it sensible to use slender instead of slim?

The words slender and slim are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, slender implies leanness or spareness often with grace and good proportion.

the slender legs of a Sheraton chair

Where would slight be a reasonable alternative to slim?

In some situations, the words slight and slim are roughly equivalent. However, slight implies smallness as well as thinness.

a slight build

When can tenuous be used instead of slim?

The words tenuous and slim can be used in similar contexts, but tenuous implies extreme thinness, sheerness, or lack of substance and firmness.

a tenuous thread

When is thin a more appropriate choice than slim?

While in some cases nearly identical to slim, 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 slim Keep things profesh with mesh slingbacks and a slim watch. Kelsey Stiegman, Glamour, 3 June 2026 Her beliefs that people deserve healthcare, immigrants deserve due process and women deserve access to reproductive healthcare have not swayed, but the slim margins of political power have changed her approach. Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 3 June 2026 Monday has a slim 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, the forecast showed. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 2 June 2026 Pre-election surveys show Han, now an independent, holding a slim lead over the Democratic Party’s Ha Jung-woo, a former Lee adviser on artificial intelligence, in a race in Busan, the country’s second biggest city. ABC News, 2 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for slim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slim
Adjective
  • Said was clean-shaven, with close-cropped, graying hair and thin, rectangular glasses.
    Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026
  • Expect body hair to thin, disappear, Alpinize.
    Sandra Cisneros, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Adjective
  • Then came last year’s The Most Dear and The Future, a slender collection of tracks that straddled a line between pop, ambient, folk, and dance with an air of rustic mysticism that seemed to travel through music circles like gossip bursting from localized containment.
    Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 2 June 2026
  • Within a year of his Vitali Daraselia Cup breakthrough, the slender winger made his Dinamo debut.
    Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Adjective
  • On trips to Spain this month and France in September, Leo will find thousands of young people like her in these traditionally Catholic but now staunchly secular countries, where historic churches are abundant and Mass attendance is sparse.
    ABC News, ABC News, 1 June 2026
  • Most subsea drones can only trade sparse, primitive status blips.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 June 2026
Adjective
  • The National Federation of Independent Business has warned that small businesses and consumers who rely on energy, rather than oil giants, will end up holding the bag.
    Yaël Ossowski, Boston Herald, 30 May 2026
  • But as funding from cap-and-invest and the climate bond dwindle, the state must increasingly turn to Cal Fire, which devotes only a small portion of its budget to mitigation work.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
Adjective
  • Malaysian diver Lee Kian Lie told CNN that rescue divers were teaching the villagers how to dive out of the cave themselves, as the space is narrow and water levels are not coming down despite efforts to pump the water out.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
  • Delegates to the state conventions don’t mirror the broader electorate, and their candidate selections can often represent more narrow preference of the party base.
    Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 29 May 2026
Adjective
  • But his own journey was not easy; at eight, he was rejected by the Croatian club Hajduk Split for being too skinny and too short.
    Sanat Pai Raikar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 June 2026
  • This wide-leg style has a high-rise, straight-leg fit, perfect for complementing a skinny belt and a polished top, such as a collared shirt or a silk shirt.
    Irene Richardson, InStyle, 31 May 2026
Adjective
  • Through narrow, treacherous tunnels, some waterlogged and cold enough for wetsuits, others so tight oxygen was scarce, the men navigated 260 meters (approximately 850 feet), from the chamber they’d been trapped in to the cave’s mouth, a distance equivalent to the height of a 78-story building.
    Kocha Olarn, CNN Money, 31 May 2026
  • The outbreak has sickened at least 134 people and killed 18 across Congo and Uganda, with survivors describing harsh symptoms, scarce therapies and fearful neighbors who kept their distance.
    Justin Kabumba, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026
Adjective
  • The Dodgers are in the midst of a 10-day stretch without an off day, playing into the decision to sit Ohtani Thursday.
    Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
  • In managing Ohtani’s pitching workload in his first full season on the mound since 2023, the Dodgers have used off days on the schedule to give Ohtani a recovery day following a pitching start by backing those starts up against off days three times in his first nine starts (including last week).
    Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 4 June 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slim. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on slim

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster