skinny

1 of 2

adjective

skin·​ny ˈski-nē How to pronounce skinny (audio)
skinnier; skinniest
1
: resembling skin : membranous
2
a
: lacking sufficient flesh : very thin : emaciated
b
: lacking usual or desirable bulk, quantity, qualities, or significance
3
of clothes : fitting very close to the body : very tight
skinny jeans
4
: made with skim milk
a skinny latte
skinniness noun

skinny

2 of 2

noun

slang
: inside information : dope
the straight skinny on what's going onJohn Geary
Choose the Right Synonym for skinny

lean, spare, lank, lanky, gaunt, rawboned, scrawny, skinny mean thin because of an absence of excess flesh.

lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.

a lean racehorse

spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

the gymnast's spare figure

lank implies tallness as well as leanness.

the lank legs of the heron

lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.

a lanky youth, all arms and legs

gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.

a prisoner's gaunt face

rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.

a rawboned farmer

scrawny and skinny imply an extreme leanness that suggests deficient strength and vitality.

a scrawny chicken
skinny street urchins

Examples of skinny in a Sentence

Adjective the tree swing was supported only by a couple of skinny branches her grandmother was always insisting that she was too skinny and never tired of trying to force more food on her Noun a TV show that offers all the skinny on Tinseltown and the stars that light it up
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Ron Book, the Trust’s chairman — a 5-foot-8 septuagenarian, who that night sported ripped skinny jeans and designer blue sneakers — marched up to them. Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2025 After years of skinny jeans and wide-leg cuts taking over the market, the bootcut is having a renaissance, thanks partly to Kendrick Lamar wearing a pair during the halftime of Super Bowl LIX. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
Denim trends have shifted away from rigid skinnies and toward ease, fluidity, and freedom. Ruhama Wolle, Glamour, 10 Mar. 2025 Similarly versatile, find Frame’s skinny—yes, skinny!—style or even Cos’s barrel-leg pair. Laura Jackson, Vogue, 28 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for skinny

Word History

Etymology

Noun

perhaps from skin entry 1 + -y entry 4

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1938, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of skinny was circa 1541

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Skinny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skinny. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

skinny

adjective
skin·​ny
ˈskin-ē
skinnier; skinniest
1
: resembling skin : membranous
a skinny layer
2
: very thin
skinniness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on skinny

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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