gossamer-thin

7.3

Very thin and light, like a fine spider web

adjective
/ˈɡɑːsəmər θɪn/

: diáfano

When the sunlight hit the gossamer-thin veil, it shimmered like a delicate layer of frost.

Examples

The gossamer-thin fabric flowed gracefully in the breeze, giving the dress an ethereal quality.
And then he sees a bright electric blue, gossamer thin one that is definitely connected to me.
The spider's web was gossamer-thin, glistening with dew in the early morning light.

Synonyms

thin

vsgossamer-thin

420 1.0

Not thick from side to side, for example a line or a slice

adds strong sense of lightness and delicate, filmy quality beyond plain thinness

paper-thin

vsgossamer-thin

8 3.9

Very thin and easily damaged, like a sheet of paper

focuses more on delicate lightness and filmy texture rather than mere thinness

wispy

vsgossamer-thin

7 3.8

Thin and light in form, like a small person or light cloth

emphasizes delicate filmy quality rather than frail or sparse appearance

diaphanous

vsgossamer-thin

4 9.6

Very light, delicate material that is almost transparent

stresses both extreme thinness and a delicate, ethereal quality

gossamer

vsgossamer-thin

1 8.6

Very light and delicate like a thin cloth or spider web

is the hyphenated descriptive adjective emphasizing extreme lightness and delicacy

ultrathin

vsgossamer-thin

1 4.4

Extremely thin in shape or size

adds a delicate, airy sense beyond mere thinness

Antonyms

thick

585 1.0

Having a large distance between two sides and often very dense

heavy-duty

23 3.9

Made to do hard work and last a long time

How Thin

gossamer-thin

7.3

thin

420 1.0

slender

57 1.4

Surface Forms

gossamer-thin positive

Morphology

gossamer-thin = gossamer + thin (transparent) = gossamer + thin

The compound directly combines 'gossamer' and 'thin' to mean extremely thin and delicate, a meaning easily derived from the components.

Etymology

Gossamer-thin comes from gossamer, a name for the very light spider web that sometimes floats on autumn mornings. One popular story says the old parts meant 'goose' and 'summer', but the useful image to remember is of thin, delicate spider threads, so gossamer-thin means extremely light and delicate.