Adjacent Words

Thin definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

THIN, a. [L. tenuis; Gr. narrow.]
1. Having little thickness or extent from one surface to the opposite; as a thin plate of metal; thin paper; a thin board; a thin covering.
2. Rare; not dense; applied to fluids or to soft mixtures; as thin blood; thin milk; thin air.
In the day, when the air is more thin.
3. Not close; not crowded; not filling the space; not having the individuals that compose the thing in a close or compact state; as, the trees of a forest are thin; the corn or grass is thin. A thin audience in church is not uncommon. Important legislative business should not be transacted in a thin house.
4. Not full or well grown.
Seven thin ears. Genesis 41.
5. Slim; small; slender; lean. A person becomes thin by disease. Some animals are naturally thin.
6. Exile; small; fine; not full.
Thin hollow sounds, and lamentable screams.
7. Not thick or close; of a loose texture; not impervious to the sight; as a thin vail.
8. Not crowded or well stocked; not abounding.
Ferrara is very large, but extremely thin of people.
9. Slight; not sufficient for a covering; as a thin disguise.
THIN, adv. Not thickly or closely; in a scattered state; as seed sown thin.
Spain is thin sown as people.
THIN, v.t. [L. tenuo. See Attenuate.]
1. To make thin; to make rare or less thick; to attenuate; as, to thin the blood.
2. To make less close, crowded or numerous; as, to thin the ranks of an enemy; to thin the trees or shrubs of a thicket.
3. To attenuate; to rarefy; to make less dense; as, to thin the air; to thin the vapors.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: of relatively small extent from one surface to the opposite or in cross section; "thin wire"; "a thin chiffon blouse"; "a thin book"; "a thin layer of paint" [ant: thick]
2: lacking excess flesh; "you can't be too rich or too thin"; "Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look"-Shakespeare [syn: thin, lean] [ant: fat]
3: very narrow; "a thin line across the page" [syn: slender, thin]
4: not dense; "a thin beard"; "trees were sparse" [syn: sparse, thin]
5: relatively thin in consistency or low in density; not viscous; "air is thin at high altitudes"; "a thin soup"; "skimmed milk is much thinner than whole milk"; "thin oil" [ant: thick]
6: (of sound) lacking resonance or volume; "a thin feeble cry" [ant: full]
7: lacking spirit or sincere effort; "a thin smile"
8: lacking substance or significance; "slight evidence"; "a tenuous argument"; "a thin plot"; a fragile claim to fame" [syn: flimsy, fragile, slight, tenuous, thin] v
1: lose thickness; become thin or thinner [ant: inspissate, thicken]
2: make thin or thinner; "Thin the solution" [ant: inspissate, thicken]
3: lessen the strength or flavor of a solution or mixture; "cut bourbon" [syn: dilute, thin, thin out, reduce, cut]
4: take off weight [syn: reduce, melt off, lose weight, slim, slenderize, thin, slim down] [ant: gain, put on] adv
1: without viscosity; "the blood was flowing thin" [syn: thinly, thin] [ant: thick, thickly]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective (thinner; thinnest) Etymology: Middle English thinne, from Old English thynne; akin to Old High German dunni thin, Latin tenuis thin, ten?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 • thinly adverb • thinness noun • thinnish adjective 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>. II. verb (thinned; thinning) Date: before 12th century transitive verb to make thin or thinner: a. to reduce in thickness or depth ; attenuate b. to make less dense or viscous c. dilute, weaken d. to cause to lose flesh <thinned by weeks of privation> e. to reduce in number or bulk intransitive verb 1. to become thin or thinner 2. to become weak III. adverb (thinner; thinnest) Date: 13th century in a thin manner ; thinly — used especially in combination <thin-clad> <thin-flowing>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj., adv., & v. --adj. (thinner, thinnest) 1 having the opposite surfaces close together; of small thickness or diameter. 2 a (of a line) narrow or fine. b (of a script or type etc.) consisting of thin lines. 3 made of thin material (a thin dress). 4 lean; not plump. 5 a not dense or copious (thin hair; a thin haze). b not full or closely packed (a thin audience). 6 of slight consistency (a thin paste). 7 weak; lacking an important ingredient (thin blood; a thin voice). 8 (of an excuse, argument, disguise, etc.) flimsy or transparent. --adv. thinly (cut the bread very thin). --v. (thinned, thinning) 1 tr. & intr. make or become thin or thinner. 2 tr. & intr. (often foll. by out) reduce; make or become less dense or crowded or numerous. 3 tr. (often foll. by out) remove some of a crop of (seedlings, saplings, etc.) or some young fruit from (a vine or tree) to improve the growth of the rest. Phrases and idioms: have a thin time colloq. have a wretched or uncomfortable time. on thin ice see ICE. thin air a state of invisibility or non-existence (vanished into thin air). thin end of the wedge see WEDGE(1). thin on the ground see GROUND(1). thin on top balding. thin-skinned sensitive to reproach or criticism; easily upset. Derivatives: thinly adv. thinness n. thinnish adj. Etymology: OE thynne f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thin Thin, adv. Not thickly or closely; in a seattered state; as, seed sown thin. Spain is thin sown of people. --Bacon.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thin Thin, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Thinned; p. pr. & vb. n. Thinning.] [Cf. AS. ge[thorn]ynnian.] To make thin (in any of the senses of the adjective).

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thin Thin, v. i. To grow or become thin; -- used with some adverbs, as out, away, etc.; as, geological strata thin out, i. e., gradually diminish in thickness until they disappear.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thin Thin, a. [Compar. Thiner; superl. Thinest.] [OE. thinne, thenne, thunne, AS. [thorn]ynne; akin to D. dun, G. d["u]nn, OHG. dunni, Icel. [thorn]unnr, Sw. tunn, Dan. tynd, Gael. & Ir. tana, W. teneu, L. tenuis, Gr. ? (in comp.) stretched out, ? stretched, stretched out, long, Skr. tanu thin, slender; also to AS. ?enian to extend, G. dehnen, Icel. ?enja, Goth. ?anjan (in comp.), L. tendere to stretch, tenere to hold, Gr. ? to stretch, Skr. tan. [root]51 & 237. Cf. Attenuate, Dance, Tempt, Tenable, Tend to move, Tenous, Thunder, Tone.] 1. Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite; as, a thin plate of metal; thin paper; a thin board; a thin covering. 2. Rare; not dense or thick; -- applied to fluids or soft mixtures; as, thin blood; thin broth; thin air. --Shak. In the day, when the air is more thin. --Bacon. Satan, bowing low His gray dissimulation, disappeared, Into thin air diffused. --Milton. 3. Not close; not crowded; not filling the space; not having the individuals of which the thing is composed in a close or compact state; hence, not abundant; as, the trees of a forest are thin; the corn or grass is thin. Ferrara is very large, but extremely thin of people. --Addison. 4. Not full or well grown; wanting in plumpness. Seven thin ears . . . blasted with the east wind. --Gen. xli. 6. 5. Not stout; slim; slender; lean; gaunt; as, a person becomes thin by disease. 6. Wanting in body or volume; small; feeble; not full. Thin, hollow sounds, and lamentable screams. --Dryden. 7. Slight; small; slender; flimsy; wanting substance or depth or force; superficial; inadequate; not sufficient for a covering; as, a thin disguise. My tale is done, for my wit is but thin. --Chaucer. Note: Thin is used in the formation of compounds which are mostly self-explaining; as, thin-faced, thin-lipped, thin-peopled, thin-shelled, and the like. Thin section. See under Section.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(thinner, thinnest, thins, thinning, thinned) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. Something that is thin is much narrower than it is long. A thin cable carries the signal to a computer... James's face was thin, finely boned, and sensitive. ADJ 2. A person or animal that is thin has no extra fat on their body . He was a tall, thin man with grey hair... ? fat ADJ • thinness There was something familiar about him, his fawn raincoat, his thinness, the way he moved. N-UNCOUNT 3. Something such as paper or cloth that is thin is flat and has only a very small distance between its two opposite surfaces. ...a small, blue-bound book printed in fine type on thin paper... ? thick ADJ • thinly Peel and thinly slice the onion... ADV: ADV with v 4. Liquids that are thin are weak and watery. The soup was thin and clear, yet mysteriously rich... ? thick ADJ 5. A crowd or audience that is thin does not have many people in it. The crowd, which had been thin for the first half of the race, had now grown considerably. ADJ • thinly The island is thinly populated. ADV: ADV -ed 6. Thin clothes are made from light cloth and are not warm to wear. Her gown was thin, and she shivered, partly from cold. ? thick ADJ • thinly Mrs Brown wrapped the thinly clad man in her fur coat. ADV: ADV adj/-ed 7. If you describe an argument or explanation as thin, you mean that it is weak and difficult to believe. However, the evidence is thin and, to some extent, ambiguous... = weak ? strong ADJ • thinly Much of the speech was a thinly disguised attack on British Airways. ADV: usu ADV -ed, also ADV before v 8. If someone's hair is described as thin, they do not have a lot of hair. She had pale thin yellow hair she pulled back into a bun. ? thick ADJ 9. When you thin something or when it thins, it becomes less crowded because people or things have been removed from it. It would have been better to have thinned the trees over several winters rather than all at one time... By midnight the crowd had thinned. VERB: V n, V • Thin out means the same as thin. NATO will continue to thin out its forces... When the crowd began to thin out, I realized that most of the food was still there... PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V P 10. To thin a sauce or liquid means to make it weaker and more watery by adding another liquid to it. It may be necessary to thin the sauce slightly... VERB: V n • Thin down means the same as thin. Thin down your mayonnaise with soured cream or natural yoghurt. PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron) 11. If a man's hair is thinning, it has begun to fall out. His hair is thinning and his skin has lost all hint of youth. thin on top: see top VERB: V 12. If someone's patience, for example, is wearing thin, they are beginning to become impatient or angry with someone. Parliament has not yet begun to combat the deepening economic crisis, and public patience is wearing thin. PHRASE 13. on thin ice: see ice thin air: see air

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Not thick (in measure). 2. Slender, slim, meagre, lean, poor, gaunt, scraggy, skinny, lank, scrawny, shrunk, emaciated. 3. Meagre, poor, slender, not well-grown. 4. Fine, slender, small, tenuous, delicate, thread-like, fine-spun. 5. Rare, subtile, attenuated, dilute, tenuous. 6. Sparse, scanty. 7. Slight, flimsy, light, gossamery, delicate, unsubstantial. 8. Small, fine, faint, low, feeble, slight, light. II. v. a. 1. Make thin. 2. Rarefy, attenuate, dilute, make less dense.

Moby Thesaurus

Lenten, Sanforize, Sanforized, Spartan, a bit thick, a bit thin, abate, abrade, abstemious, abstract, absurd, acute, adulterate, adulterated, airy, ankle-deep, argute, ascetic, atomic, attenuate, attenuated, austere, backset, baptize, bate, beyond belief, blow off, bony, boyish, cadaverous, cast forth, cheeseparing, chiffon, chinchy, chintzy, clear, clear as crystal, clear away, colliquate, consume, consumed, corky, corpuscular, creaky, crystal, crystal-clear, crystalline, cultivate, culture, cursory, curtail, cut, cut down, dainty, dead, decoagulate, decoct, decrease, deduct, deficient, delicate, deliquesce, delve, depreciate, depthless, derogate, detract, diaphane, diaphanous, diffuse, dig, dilute, diluted, diminish, disparage, dispel, dispersed, dissipate, dissolve, doubtable, doubtful, drain, draw out, dress, dried-up, drive away, dry up, dubious, dubitable, dwarfed, dwarfish, ear-piercing, eat away, emacerate, emacerated, emaciate, emaciated, embryonic, epidermal, erode, ethereal, etherealize, evanescent, evaporate, exiguous, expand, extenuate, extract, fade, fallow, feeble, fertilize, file away, filmy, fine, finespun, flat, flavorless, flimsy, fluidify, fluidize, flux, force, fragile, frail, frugal, fuse, gangling, gaseous, gaunt, gauzy, germinal, girlish, gossamer, gossamery, gracile, granular, gruelly, half-starved, hard of belief, hard to believe, harrow, high, high-pitched, hoe, hold in solution, howling, impair, impalpable, imperceptible, implausible, imponderable, impoverished, improbable, inadequate, inane, inappreciable, inconceivable, incredible, indifferent, indiscernible, infinitesimal, infrequent, infuse, insipid, insubstantial, insufficient, intangible, invisible, irrigate, jejune, keen, keening, knee-deep, lacy, lame, lank, lanky, leach, lean, lessen, light, light-pervious, limited, limpid, liquefy, liquesce, liquidize, list, lixiviate, lucid, macerate, meager, meagerly, mean, melt, melt down, microcosmic, microscopic, mild, milk-and-water, miserly, misty, molecular, mulch, narrow, niggardly, nonopaque, not deep, not deserving belief, on the surface, open to doubt, open to suspicion, paltry, papery, pappy, parch, parched, parsimonious, passing belief, peekaboo, pellucid, penetrating, percolate, piddling, piercing, pinched, piping, plow, poor, preposterous, preshrink, preshrunk, problematic, prune, pulpy, puny, purify, questionable, rake, rare, rarefied, rarefy, reduce, reedy, refine, refined, remove, retrench, revealing, ridiculous, rub away, run, sapless, savorless, scant, scantily, scanty, scarce, scattered, scraggy, scrawny, screaky, screeching, screechy, scrimp, scrimping, scrimpy, sear, see-through, seldom met with, seldom seen, shallow, shallow-rooted, sharp, sharpen, sheer, shoal, shorten, shrieking, shrieky, shrill, shrink, shrivel, shriveled, shriveled up, shrunk, shrunken, silken, silky, skeletal, skimp, skimping, skimpy, skin-deep, skinny, slender, slenderish, slight, slight-made, slim, slimmish, slinky, small, solubilize, solve, spade, spare, sparing, sparingly, sparse, sparsely, spiceless, spindly, spotty, sprinkled, squeaking, squeaky, staggering belief, stale, starvation, stingy, stinted, straitened, stunted, subatomic, subduct, subsistence, subtile, subtilize, subtle, subtract, superficial, surface, suspect, suspicious, svelte, sylphlike, take away, take from, tall, tasteless, tenuous, thaw, thick, thin, thin away, thin down, thin out, thin-bodied, thin-set, thin-spun, thinned, thinned-out, thinnish, threadlike, tight, till, till the soil, translucent, transparent, transpicuous, treble, trim, trivial, twiggy, ultramicroscopic, ululant, unbelievable, unclot, unclouded, uncommon, uncompact, uncompressed, unconvincing, underfed, undernourished, undersized, underweight, unearthly, unflavored, ungodly, unimaginable, unimportant, unnourishing, unnutritious, unprofound, unsatisfying, unsavory, unseeable, unsubstantial, untenable, unthinkable, unusual, unworthy of belief, vague, vapid, vaporous, volatilize, wailing, washy, wasp-waisted, waste, waste away, wasted, wasted away, water, water down, watered, watered-down, waterish, watery, weak, weaken, wear away, weazen, weazened, weed, weed out, whining, whistling, willowy, windy, wiredrawn, wishy-washy, wispy, withdraw, wither, withered, wizen, wizen-faced, wizened, work, worthless