tinny
- adjective
- /ˈtɪni/
- Her voice sounded tinny on the old phone, as if it was coming from a distance.
- sounds tinny
- tinny little
I said ostentatious when it feels a tinny plastic, when it feels not quite right.
- I said ostentatious when it feels a tinny plastic, when it feels not quite right.
Examples
-
I watched him get into an especially small and tinny brown car.
Fiction book (2002) -
There are armies of penitents carrying banners and flowered arches while musicians play tinny trumpets and tinny drums.
Fiction book (2002) -
I said ostentatious when it feels a tinny plastic, when it feels not quite right.
-
The grass was still green, but the tree had turned a tinny magenta, and its leaves spread in a puddle of shadow around the seat of the swing.
Fiction book (2000) -
There are odd spots in Melbourne where you don't carry an iPad and where a tinny little Android is safer to walk around with in your hand.
Blog text (28) -
The voices of Indiana, Betsy, Clare, and Scraggy echo through a tinny speaker.
Fiction book (1990) -
As soon as the rope was uncleated, Johnny shoved the throttle all the way forward, and the tinny little eighteen-horsepower engine whined with exertion.
Fiction book (1999) -
The music played from the tinny speakers was barely audible over the crowd.
-
I could barely hear the movie because the dialogue was so tinny and distorted.
Synonyms
Not made well and breaks or wears out quickly
Of very poor quality and likely to break
Poor and in bad condition with little value
Low quality and unpleasant
Very small and weak, not impressive
Looks low quality and cheaply made, like a plastic toy
Thin and not strong so it breaks or tears easily
Small and not very impressive or valuable
Poorly made and cheap so it breaks or wears quickly
Cheap and poorly made, likely to fall apart quickly
Very poor quality and not reliable
Small and a little worn but with a cozy charm
How Flimsy
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
A helpful way to remember tinny is to think of a thin 'tin can' that bends easily. Because tinny comes from tin + -y, it also means 'flimsy' or 'of poor quality'.