as in sensitive
easily offended
she only laughed at the teasing, but a more thin-skinned person would have gotten angry
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Recent Examples of thin-skinned
Chef Mingoo Kang’s favorite vegetable is the thin-skinned variety of Kermit-green summer squash known as aehobak, or Korean zucchini, which is slightly sweeter and more aromatic than American zucchini.
—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
More delicate, thin-skinned fruit like mandarins and Meyer lemons require a more hands-on approach using snips.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 6 Mar. 2026
While some might depict the NFL as thin-skinned in challenging the report cards, both the league and union use arbitration to enforce CBA provisions.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Feb. 2026
The football world overflows with thin-skinned, insecure coaches.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Two such traits, being thin-skinned and suffering from an interior monologue of unending self-doubt, are often identified as negatives.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Instead Linda devolves, becoming more pugnacious and thin-skinned and pissed off.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Yukon gold and red potatoes are thin-skinned so there’s no need to peel them.
—Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 11 Dec. 2025
The Tyndall effect, a bluish discoloration from filler that has been injected too superficially, is another possible side effect and is most commonly seen in the thin-skinned undereye area.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 27 Oct. 2025
The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
More delicate, thin-skinned fruit like mandarins and Meyer lemons require a more hands-on approach using snips.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 6 Mar. 2026
While some might depict the NFL as thin-skinned in challenging the report cards, both the league and union use arbitration to enforce CBA provisions.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Feb. 2026
The football world overflows with thin-skinned, insecure coaches.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Two such traits, being thin-skinned and suffering from an interior monologue of unending self-doubt, are often identified as negatives.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Instead Linda devolves, becoming more pugnacious and thin-skinned and pissed off.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Yukon gold and red potatoes are thin-skinned so there’s no need to peel them.
—Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 11 Dec. 2025
The Tyndall effect, a bluish discoloration from filler that has been injected too superficially, is another possible side effect and is most commonly seen in the thin-skinned undereye area.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thin-skinned
Adjective
-
This was essentially a copy of the main laser beam, used as a sensitive probe to detect tiny fluctuations that the main system couldn’t easily see.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Berries, leafy greens, and other fresh fruits and vegetables are also particularly sensitive to temperature fluctuations.—
Bridget Shirvell,
Martha Stewart,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Perhaps through feeling more irritable, more anxious, or wanting to isolate.—
Joy Harden Bradford,
AJC.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Had my symptoms maybe been put down to irritable bowel, for example, that could’ve been ongoing and ongoing and ongoing for a much longer period of time.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Both shows feature fish-out-of-water scenarios and Levy as a tetchy gay man with a difficult sister—though Nicky has two of those, not just one.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Edgily eager to shoot their scenes and get a move on with their acting lives, the increasingly tetchy trio are stuck in virtual drydock as all actual moviemaking has drained away.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Xinjiang has long been a touchy issue in neighboring Kazakhstan, a Central Asian country of 20 million people that relies on China as a major trading partner.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The conversation, by turns comfortable and touchy, is familiar enough.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Eleven hours into this 15-hour shift, most of the attending’s best qualities — his pragmatic approach to medicine, his encouragement of young colleagues, his ability to roll with unexpected challenges — have curdled into huffy dismissiveness and defensive blind spots.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
-
He is seen as favoring Christine Lagarde, head of the European Central Bank, to take over WEF, though her huffy exit this year from a dinner stacked with US government officials may make things awkward.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
There’s a ticklish elusiveness to the portraits of Blume’s husbands in the book, and to those of her kids, Randy and Larry, as well.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Transporting the patient 12 miles to Hartford Hospital would be ticklish.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thin-skinned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thin-skinned. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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