slim en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈslɪm/
- [ˈslɪm]
Etymology
Borrowing from Low German or Dutch slim (“bad, sly, clever”), from Middle Dutch slim (“bad, crooked”), from Old Dutch *slimb, from Proto-West Germanic *slimb, from Proto-Germanic *slimbaz (“oblique, crooked”). The sense development would have been "slanting, cunning" (Dutch) > "insignificant, slight" and then "thin, graceful" in English, a shift that Liberman calls an "incredible amelioration" of word meaning. The pejorative sense found in Low German and Dutch is also found preserved in the archaic English noun slim (“worthless or lazy person”), also comparable to the South African use of the adjective as "crafty, sly." Compare Dutch slim (“smart, clever, crafty”), Middle High German slimp (“slanting, awry”), German schlimm (“bad”), West Frisian slim (“bad, dire”).
Meanings
-
(of a person or a person's build) Slender; thin. ▸ Slender in an attractive way.
Movie stars are usually slim, attractive, and young.
- (broadly, of clothing) Slender; thin. ▸ Designed to make the wearer appear slim.
- (of an object) Slender; thin. ▸ Long and narrow.
- (of a workforce) Slender; thin. ▸ Of a reduced size, with the intent of being more efficient.
-
(of something abstract like a chance or margin) Very small, tiny.
Juries who will convict on the slimmest evidence.
Wolves' debatable third in the last 10 minutes, with the ball only crossing the line by the slimmest of margins if at all, ensured a cracking finale, although City would have been left aggrieved had they let the win slip.
2011 January 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Man City 4 - 3 Wolves”, in BBC:I'm afraid your chances are quite slim.
-
(Northern-England, Scotland, qualifier:rustic) Bad, of questionable quality; not strongly built, flimsy.
A slimly-shod lad;
a slimly-made cart.
- (South-Africa, in UK, obsolete) Sly, crafty.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| slimmer | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| slimmest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
slim-thick · slim pickings · superslim · slimly · slim jim · slimsy · slimline · slimwood · slim-fit · unslim · slimwing · slim client · slimwear · slimplectic · slimnastics · slimmish · ultraslim
Synonyms
craptabulous · crapperific · flimsy · cautelous · shite · bum · lean · sleek · slim · lousy · garbage · svelte · ass · shrewd · tricksy · drecky · svelte · bad · low-rent · delicate · woeful · rubbish · ropy · gracile · tenuous · pathetic · craptastic · slimming · poor man's · chintzy · crappy · frailsome · god-awful · crafty · slender · mid · vulpine · naughty · lithesome · cheesy · slim · stalky · flimsy · punk · sylphlike · astute · tin-pot · artful · inferior · rangy · dogwater · bottom-shelf · subpar · lousy · made in China · ticky-tacky · lithe · second-rate · trashy · shitty · slazy · foxy · wily · cunning · frangible · shit · rinky-dink · frood · BTEC · tricky · gash · under par · slim · one-star · slight · frood · virgate · crappo · gaunt · shoddy · sad · shoddy · fine · leansome · sly · infinitesimal · crap · agile · substandard · wretched · cunning · breakable · craptacular · trash · cheap and nasty · cheapshit · frail · delicate · swack · thin · willowy · slight · lank · crummy · pound-shop · slinky · frail · fourth-rate · low · low-grade · lithe · slim · tenth-rate · foxlike · scrubby · sticklike · below par · tender · fragile · cheap · guileful · schlocky · marginal · willowy · devious · base · third-rate · coffee-and · lissome · diabolical · low-quality · cruddy · subtle · poor
Translations (91)
be худы́ (slender) · cs štíhlý (slender) · be стро́йны (slender) · pl szczupły (slender) · sk štíhly (slender) · ja スリムな (slender) · pdt denn (slender) · pdt schlank (slender) · nb slank (slender) · ar أَهْيَف (slender) · fr mince (slender) · nl slank (slender) · sh ви̏так (slender) · cmn 纖細 /纤细 (slender) · fi hoikka (slender) · ja 細い (slender) · be стро́мкі (slender) · es delgado (slender) · de schmal (slender) · da tynd (slender) · io dina (slender) · zza barı (diq) (slender) · lv slaids (slender) · pt delgado (slender) · uk худи́й (slender) · gd caol (slender) · fi laiha (slender) · hu vékony (slender) · mk тенок (slender) · grc βράδινος (slender) · ur پتلا (slender) · la gracilis (slender) · ga seang (slender) · da slank (slender) · sl vitek (slender) · fr svelte (slender) · lv tievs (slender) · ga tanaí (slender) · ja ほっそりした (slender) · pt magro (slender) · it affusolato (slender) · de schlank (slender) · bg тъ́нък (slender) · ru худо́й (slender) · sh мр̏шав (slender) · gd seang (slender) · it magro (slender) · cmn 苗條 /苗条 (slender) · cy main (slender) · nl dun (slender) · chr ᎤᎴᏐᏓ (slender) · ga caol (slender) · uk струнки́й (slender) · zza bari (diq) (slender) · el λεπτός (slender) · it snello (slender) · ro zvelt (slender) · id ramping (slender) · ru стро́йный (slender) · ro subțire (slender) · ar نَحِيل (slender) · mk виток (slender) · pl smukły (slender) · sh mȑšav (slender) · nb tynn (slender) · ba ябыҡ (slender) · sv tunn (slender) · az incə (slender) · vo lunedik (slender) · nap magro (slender) · pt esguio (slender) · sv slank (slender) · ca prim (slender) · mk слаб (slender) · lv smuidrs (slender) · el ραδινός (slender) · grc ῥαδινός (slender) · vi mảnh khảnh (slender) · pt esbelto (slender) · eo svelta (slender) · de dünn (slender) · uk стрімки́й (slender) · bg стро́ен (slender) · id langsing (slender) · ota نازك (slender) · hu karcsú (slender) · sh vȉtak (slender) · ko 날씬하다 (slender) · hi पतला (slender) · ar نَحِيف (slender) · ota ضعیف (slender)