Definitions
01thin and graceful
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. thin in an attractive or elegant way.
adj. gracefully thin or slim in physical form; carries a generally positive or aesthetic connotation.
“The dancer had long, slender legs that made her movements look very elegant.”
“The architect designed the pavilion with slender steel columns to create a sense of weightlessness and transparency against the garden backdrop.”
02small or limited
C1 · Advanced Formal
adj. very small in amount or size, often not enough.
adj. limited or meagre in amount, size, or degree; often used to describe chances, resources, or evidence.
“The team only has a slender lead, so they could still lose the game.”
“The prosecution's case rested on a slender thread of circumstantial evidence that the defence was quick to challenge during the cross-examination.”
Antonyms
03linguistics
C2 · Proficiency Science Technical
adj. a special way of pronouncing certain sounds in languages like Irish.
adj. referring to palatalized consonants in the phonology of Goidelic languages, such as Irish or Scottish Gaelic.
“In Irish, the sound of the letter 's' changes if it is slender.”
“The distinction between broad and slender consonants is a fundamental feature of Irish phonology, affecting both the vowel quality and the articulation of the consonant itself.”
Usage
In Celtic linguistics, 'slender' is the opposite of 'broad'.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“Davis, a slender man with dreadlocks and a quick smile, was one of scores of employees whose future was uncertain.” “It has a slender trunk, 10″ to 15″ in diameter.” “He’s a slender man, with friendly eyes and a bit of an Israeli accent, which is where he was born.” Etymology
From Middle English slendre, sclendre, from Old French esclendre (“thin, slender”), from Middle Dutch slinder (“thin, lank”), from Proto-Germanic slindraz (“sliding, slippery”), from Proto-Indo-European sleydʰ- (“to slip”). Cognate with Bavarian Schlenderling (“that which dangles”), German schlendern (“to saunter, stroll”), Dutch slidderen, slinderen (“to wriggle, creep like a serpent”), Low German slindern (“to slide on ice”). More at slide, slither.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
01. slender reed
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/slender
「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0