thin
- adjective
- /θɪn/
- So I do appreciate a thin formula.
- wear thin
- spread too thin
- stretched thin
But the working hard and being spread thin are two different dynamics.
- But the working hard and being spread thin are two different dynamics.
- They spread their forces too thin so they look bad.
- The deeper the loads are, the more thin the distribution.
Examples
-
Still feels a bit thin, so.
-
But the joke's wearing thin
-
This is obviously too thin from my preference.
-
When physical education budgets are already stretched thin with other equipment needs, technology may not be well supported.
Academic text (2008) -
Reality's pretty thin around here.
-
By the time the latest ideas reach Chicago, they're worn thin and easy to see through.
Academic text (1990) -
You're hurting down deep, and the tough guy face you put on is pretty thin.
-
Before we're halfway down, the light is too thin to see the rocks and gullies beneath us.
Fiction book (1991) -
You're skating on thin ice, so I wouldn't push my luck.
-
The argument presented in the meeting was too thin to be convincing.
Synonyms
Small in amount or degree
Based on weak support and likely to fail
Very weak and not likely to be important or true
Not strong in taste, thin and watery
Weak and not convincing as an excuse or argument
Very thin and easily damaged, like a sheet of paper
Very flat with almost no height, like a sheet of paper
Very weak and unconvincing, like a poor excuse
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
In all situations, both good and bad, people stay loyal and support each other
Compounds
- Specialized
A small upright plant like a blueberry that grows in western US mountains and makes sour berries
- Australian
An Australian eucalyptus tree with thin leaves and stringy bark
- Specialized
A shellfish with a thin fragile shell that can be easily crushed
How Convincing
Surface Forms
Etymology
Thin comes from Old English thynne, meaning 'not thick', and people began to use it for things that lack weight or depth. That's why a 'thin' argument or sound feels weak or not convincing.