ENGLISH
REFERENCE

slender

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈsɫɛndɝ// UK //slˈɛndɐ// slen·der Archaic Slang

adj. thin in an attractive or graceful way. You use this to describe someone who is slim and healthy-looking.

adj. gracefully thin or slight in build. Often carries a positive or aesthetic connotation, distinguishing it from terms like 'skinny' or 'scrawny'.


SIMPLE

She has long, slender fingers.

CONTEXTUAL

The model wore a slender silver necklace that complemented her elegant evening gown.

COMPLEX

The architect designed a slender skyscraper that seemed to pierce the clouds without overwhelming the historic skyline of the city below.

Synonyms
Origin

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.

Usage

Typically used to describe people, body parts, or long, thin objects.

Idioms1 entry

© 2026 English Reference