skinny
1 of 2adjective
skin·ny ˈski-nē 
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 2noun
slang
: inside information : dope
the straight skinny on what's going on
John Geary
John Geary
Synonyms
Adjective
- fine
- hairline
- narrow
- needlelike
- paper-thin
- slender
- slim
- slim-jim
- thin
- ultrathin
Noun
- 411 [slang]
- book
- dope
- inside
- lowdown
- poop [slang]
- scoop
- tip
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 Christian Allaire, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2022 In terms of prominent San Francisco land use battles, the proposal to build 57 studio apartments on a skinny parking lot near Mission and Sixth streets was not on anyone’s radar. J.k. Dineen, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Sep. 2022 Anyone who’s traded their prepandemic skinny jeans for looser, 1990s-style pants knows the joy of a little more room. Callum Borchers, WSJ, 15 Sep. 2022 O'Donnell kept things classic in a black suit with a skinny tie while his teenage daughter looked chic in a floral maxi dress. Georgia Slater, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2022 The tall, skinny, loquacious Baird is the head of UC Riverside’s Turfgrass Research & Extension program, devoted to the study of growing and maintaining lawns. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2022 But throw some skinny five-spokes on this thing and the rear end will look goofy, even if the brakes work perfectly fine—the ID.4 recorded a decent 166-foot stop from 70 mph, drums and all. Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 6 Sep. 2022 Ivan, bearded, missing most of his teeth, a flannel shirt hanging off his skinny shoulders, sat on a bed in utter bewilderment. George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2022 Chalamet paired the daring crimson look with a pair of leather black boots, Cartier rings, and, in some photos, a pair of skinny black sunglasses. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 2 Sep. 2022 Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 25 Aug. 2022 Pamela Anderson's iconic look lies in her '90s skinny brows. Lindy Segal, Harper's BAZAAR, 28 July 2022 Egging on the studio audience (that’s us), Adenikeh prods her celebrity guests for the salacious skinny (her role model may be closer to Wendy Williams). Peter Marks, Washington Post, 21 June 2022 Boyfriend, mom, skinny, bootcut, ribcage — the list of styles goes on and on. Claire Harmeyer, PEOPLE.com, 31 Mar. 2022 Actually, there is one male in this scene, Pablo Picasso, posing skinny and nude on a towel on the grass. New York Times, 17 Feb. 2022 In June 2018, 2,505 women in Ireland made history for the largest skinny-dip, according to Guinness World Records. Sarah Rumpf, Fox News, 13 July 2022 Here's the skinny on the odds for Game 4, which is at 6:30 p.m. Monday night on TNT. Emmett Prosser, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9 May 2022 There is nothing anyone can do to make my low-rise skinny jeans fashionable again. Kimberly Beekman, Outside Online, 4 Feb. 2021 See More
Adjective
Then, her skinny-fit pants had a slit at the hem—perfect for showing off her pointy-toe Prada heels, which elevated the look overall (as did her movie star-worthy Chanel sunglasses, and subtle ’90s-style shoulder bag). Christian Allaire, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2022 In terms of prominent San Francisco land use battles, the proposal to build 57 studio apartments on a skinny parking lot near Mission and Sixth streets was not on anyone’s radar. J.k. Dineen, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Sep. 2022 Anyone who’s traded their prepandemic skinny jeans for looser, 1990s-style pants knows the joy of a little more room. Callum Borchers, WSJ, 15 Sep. 2022 O'Donnell kept things classic in a black suit with a skinny tie while his teenage daughter looked chic in a floral maxi dress. Georgia Slater, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2022 The tall, skinny, loquacious Baird is the head of UC Riverside’s Turfgrass Research & Extension program, devoted to the study of growing and maintaining lawns. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2022 But throw some skinny five-spokes on this thing and the rear end will look goofy, even if the brakes work perfectly fine—the ID.4 recorded a decent 166-foot stop from 70 mph, drums and all. Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 6 Sep. 2022 Ivan, bearded, missing most of his teeth, a flannel shirt hanging off his skinny shoulders, sat on a bed in utter bewilderment. George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2022 Chalamet paired the daring crimson look with a pair of leather black boots, Cartier rings, and, in some photos, a pair of skinny black sunglasses. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 2 Sep. 2022 Noun
Her groom looked dapper in a black suit and skinny tie. Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 25 Aug. 2022 Pamela Anderson's iconic look lies in her '90s skinny brows. Lindy Segal, Harper's BAZAAR, 28 July 2022 Egging on the studio audience (that’s us), Adenikeh prods her celebrity guests for the salacious skinny (her role model may be closer to Wendy Williams). Peter Marks, Washington Post, 21 June 2022 Boyfriend, mom, skinny, bootcut, ribcage — the list of styles goes on and on. Claire Harmeyer, PEOPLE.com, 31 Mar. 2022 Actually, there is one male in this scene, Pablo Picasso, posing skinny and nude on a towel on the grass. New York Times, 17 Feb. 2022 In June 2018, 2,505 women in Ireland made history for the largest skinny-dip, according to Guinness World Records. Sarah Rumpf, Fox News, 13 July 2022 Here's the skinny on the odds for Game 4, which is at 6:30 p.m. Monday night on TNT. Emmett Prosser, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9 May 2022 There is nothing anyone can do to make my low-rise skinny jeans fashionable again. Kimberly Beekman, Outside Online, 4 Feb. 2021 See More 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
Phrases Containing skinny
Kids Definition
skinny
adjective
skin·ny ˈski-nē
skinnier; skinniest
: very thin
skinny legs
skinny 1 of 2
adjective
1
as in thin
being of less than usual width the tree swing was supported only by a couple of skinny branches Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- thin
- slender
- narrow
- slim
- fine
- tight
- elongated
- close
- needlelike
- linear
- ultrathin
- elongate
- slim-jim
- lanky
- hairline
- spare
- paper-thin
- condensed
- willowy
- spindly
- twiggy
- compressed
- stringy
- stalky
- tightened
- attenuated
- reedy
- squeezed
- wispy
- constricted
- rangy
- contracted
- lank
- attenuate
- shoestring
- bottleneck
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- fat
- wide
- broad
- stocky
- thick
- stumpy
- chunky
- squat
- bulky
- thickset
- voluminous
- massive
- thickish
- widish
2
as in slender
having a noticeably small amount of body fat her grandmother was always insisting that she was too skinny and never tired of trying to force more food on her Synonyms & Similar Words
- thin
- slender
- bony
- lean
- slim
- gaunt
- svelte
- angular
- boney
- lithe
- trim
- skeletal
- fatless
- scrawny
- haggard
- willowy
- lanky
- wiry
- anorexic
- spare
- spindly
- twiggy
- stringy
- emaciated
- rawboned
- sinewy
- weedy
- scraggy
- sylphlike
- reedy
- lank
- rangy
- anorectic
- waspish
- clean-limbed
- wizened
- puny
- pinched
- cadaverous
- meager
- spindling
- anoretic
- slight
- meagre
- wasted
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- chubby
- fat
- overweight
- obese
- plump
- corpulent
- tubby
- rotund
- stocky
- thick
- bulky
- chunky
- portly
- beefy
- fleshy
- gross
- heavyset
- pudgy
- heavy
- stout
- thickset
- burly
- husky
- stubby
- dumpy
- weighty
- brawny
- squat
- paunchy
- flabby
- potbellied
- soft
- buxom
- zaftig
- full
- roly-poly
- round
- hippy
- zoftig
skinny
2 of 2noun
as in scoop
information not generally available to the public a TV show that offers all the skinny on Tinseltown and the stars that light it up Synonyms & Similar Words
- scoop
- tip
- dope
- rumor
- poop
- inside
- book
- information
- lowdown
- news
- 411
- story
- dish
- gossip
- dirt
- word
- hint
- pointer
- intelligence
- tidings
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ancient history
- open secret
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of skinny are gaunt, lanky, lank, lean, rawboned, scrawny, and spare. While all these words mean "thin because of an absence of excess flesh," scrawny and skinny imply an extreme leanness that suggests deficient strength and vitality.
a scrawny chicken
skinny street urchins
The meanings of gaunt and skinny largely overlap; however, gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.
a prisoner's gaunt face
While the synonyms lank and skinny are close in meaning, lank implies tallness as well as leanness.
the lank legs of the heron
In some situations, the words lanky and skinny are roughly equivalent. However, lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.
a lanky youth, all arms and legs
While in some cases nearly identical to skinny, lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.
a lean racehorse
The synonyms rawboned and skinny are sometimes interchangeable, but rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.
a rawboned farmer
The words spare and skinny are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.
the gymnast's spare figure
- musketproof
- musketries
- musketry
- muskets
- muskflower
- muskgrass
- muskhogean
- muskhogeans
- muskie
- muskie weed
- muskier
- muskies
- behighted
- behighteth
- behind
- behind bars
- behind closed doors
- behind enemy lines
- behind one's back
- behind schedule
- behind someone's back
- behind the curve
- behind the eight ball
- behind the scenes
- behind the times