English Reference

Word

skinned

US/ˈskɪnd/

UK/skˈɪnd/

Definitions

01having a certain skin type

B2

adj. having a specific kind of skin, usually used with another word like 'dark' or 'fair'.

adj. having skin of a specified nature; almost exclusively used in hyphenated compounds.

“The fair-skinned boy needed to wear plenty of sunscreen at the beach.”

“The study focused on how thin-skinned fruits react to sudden changes in humidity during the transport process.”

Usage

Usually appears as the second part of a hyphenated compound adjective.

Synonyms

complexioned

02with skin removed

B2

adj. having the outer layer of skin or peel taken off.

adj. having the skin or outer integument removed, often through injury or preparation.

“He looked at his skinned knee after falling off his bicycle.”

“The recipe requires two pounds of skinned tomatoes, which should be seeded and finely diced before being added to the sauce.”

Synonyms

03having no money

C1

adj. having no money left; being completely broke.

adj. destitute or entirely lacking in financial resources.

“I can't go to the cinema tonight because I'm absolutely skinned.”

“After paying his rent and the unexpected car repair bill, he found himself completely skinned until the next payday.”

British English · Slang

Teaching tip

This is a very informal British term; 'skint' is more common in modern speech, but 'skinned' is still heard in certain dialects.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Real-World Examples

“I felt pressure to be the perfect dark‑skinned Black girl, to be ‘Oprah good’ “I felt pressure to be the perfect dark-skinned Black girl, to be ‘Oprah good’,” she says.”
The Guardian · 27 Sept 2026

Etymology

From skin (noun) + -ed (“having”).

From skin (“to remove skin”, verb) + -ed (suffix forming past tenses).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

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English Reference