adj.
Pronunciation: ' thin
Function: adjective
Inflected Form: thin · ner ; thin · nest
Etymology: Middle English thinne, from Old English thynne; akin to Old High German dunni thin, Latin tenuis thin, ten ē re to hold, tendere to stretch, Greek teinein
Date: before 12th century
1 a : having little extent from one surface to its opposite < thin paper> b : measuring little in cross section or diameter < thin rope>
2 : not dense in arrangement or distribution < thin hair>
3 : not well fleshed : LEAN
4 a : more fluid or rarefied than normal < thin air> b : having less than the usual number : SCANTY < thin attendance> c : few in number : SCARCE d : scantily supplied e : characterized by a paucity of bids or offerings <a thin market>
5 a : lacking substance or strength < thin broth> <a thin plot> b of a soil : INFERTILE , POOR
6 a : FLIMSY , UNCONVINCING <a thin disguise> b : disappointingly poor or hard <had a thin time of it>
7 : somewhat feeble, shrill, and lacking in resonance <a thin voice>
8 : lacking in intensity or brilliance < thin light>
9 : lacking sufficient photographic density or contrast
– thin · ly adverb
– thin · ness \ ' thin-n ə s \ noun
– thin · nish \ ' thi-nish \ adjective
– thin on the ground : SCARCE 1
synonyms 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>.