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skinniness

skinniness

1 4.9
Being very thin in a way that looks unhealthy
  • noun
  • /ˈskɪnɪnəs/
translation icon : delgadez
  • Many people struggle with societal pressures that glorify skinniness over health.

Examples

  • Her skinniness made her self-conscious during the summer when everyone was wearing swimsuits.

  • Orla, still so thin she had her legs crossed to cover up her skinniness, peeked along the line and said,

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Ascolino's skinniness did not help his speed.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • "There, I had done it again; I had said it as if they were still alive and were going to come in the door any minute and tease me about my skinniness."

    Fiction book (2002)
  • I will be in a strapless bridesmaid dress that highlights my skinniness, too.

    Blog text (5)
  • They also examine the reasons why skinniness became desirable for middle-class men long before it was valued by women.

    Blog text (22)
  • It seems that with my frightened eyes, my skinniness, and gloom, I'm simply unbearable.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Despite skinniness and poor clothes, Iakoju was clean and smelled of soap, earth, and something vaguely spicy.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The fashion industry often promotes skinniness as the ideal body type, affecting how women perceive themselves.

Synonyms

thinness
vsskinniness
2 2.3

A person who has very little body fat

indicates a stronger lack of flesh beyond simple low body fat
gauntness
vsskinniness
1 8.4

A very thin appearance because of illness or not having enough food

is very thin suggesting lack of flesh but not always illness related
scrawniness
vsskinniness
1 8.2

Being very thin with little body fat

focuses on lack of flesh specifically rather than general thinness
leanness
vsskinniness
1 3.4

Having little body fat and being thin

adds the sense of very little flesh and a more worried appearance
slimness
vsskinniness
1 2.7

Being thin in a way that looks attractive

is about being very thin in a way that suggests lacking flesh
wasteness
vsskinniness
  • Archaic
9.9

A very thin, weak body caused by illness or lack of food

is severe thinness that highlights missing flesh rather than medical cause
bonyness
vsskinniness
8.8

A state of being very thin so that bones show clearly

emphasizes overall lack of flesh rather than only visible bones
boniness
vsskinniness
7.9

Being very thin with bones clearly showing, often from illness or lack of food

is about the general condition of lacking flesh, not only bone visibility
spareness
vsskinniness
7.4

A thin body with very little fat

highlights a more extreme missing flesh quality rather than economy of body

Antonyms

7 2.7

A state in which something has as much inside as it can hold

1 2.4

A soft, rounded fullness, like a kitten's body or a cheek

How Thin

emaciation
  • Specialized
1 8.6
gauntness
1 8.4
skinniness
1 4.9
thinness
2 2.3
slenderness
1 3.9

Surface Forms

skinniness singular
skinninesses plural

Morphology

skinniness = skinny (transparent) = skinny + ness

Standard noun formation from the adjective 'skinny' indicating the quality or state of being skinny.

Etymology

Skinniness comes from the simple word skin, which originally came from an old Norse word for 'hide'. A helpful image is someone with only skin and little flesh, so skinniness means being very thin and having little flesh or body fat.