Meanings
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1
adj
Having a small distance between opposite surfaces; not thick.
I used a thin wire to tie the parts together.
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2
adj
Having little fat on the body; slim.
He looked thin and tired after his illness.
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3
adj
Watery in consistency; not thick.
The soup was thin and tasteless.
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4
adj
Not growing closely together; sparse.
His hair was getting thin on top.
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5
adj
Weak or unconvincing; lacking substance.
His excuse for being late sounded rather thin.
Thesaurus
Common collocations
Etymology
From Middle English thinne, thünne, thenne, from Old English þynne, from Proto-West Germanic *þunnī, from Proto-Germanic *þunnuz (“thin”) – compare *þanjaną (“to stretch, spread out”) – from Proto-Indo-European *ténh₂us (“thin”), from *ten- (“to stretch”). Cognate with German dünn, Dutch dun, West Frisian tin, Icelandic þunnur, Danish tynd, Swedish tunn, Latin tenuis, Irish tanaí, Welsh tenau, Latvian tievs, Polish cienki, Russian тонкий (tonkij), Sanskrit तनु (tanú, “thin”), Persian تنگ (tang, “narrow”). Doublet of tenuis. Also related to tenuous.