These words mean the opposite of fat or plump, describing persons whose weight is low in proportion to their height. Thin is the most general word. It suggests a lack of girth, a narrowness of frame, and may apply either to natural low weight or underweight: a tall, thin , distinguished-looking man; thin and weak after a bout of illness. Thin in itself is simply descriptive of appearance, but is often qualified by adverbs that express the degree of thinness or the attitude concerning it: too thin ; terribly thin ; pitifully thin . Like thin , lean and spare may have either positive or negative connotations. Both these words stress the absence of fatty tissue: a lean and hungry look. At the same time, both imply an underlying muscular strength – a sinewy and sometimes vigorous self-discipline: a lean , lithe runner with great stamina; a soldier’s spare build and fine bearing. Lean and spare may be expressive also of hardship and deprivation, suggesting the strength to endure hard times with a minimum of sustenance: the old prospector’s lean , hard frame; the spare form and weather-beaten face of the farmer’s wife. In extended senses, lean may mean fraught with want or hardship, not prosperous or productive: lean years. Spare can mean not plentiful, meagre: a spare meal of baked beans.

Svelte implies trimness and elegance of figure, and is often used in a complimentary way rather than as pure description: She slimmed down tremendously and looked positively svelte . This use is suggested by the word’s derivation from Latin roots meaning to pluck out. Willowy suggests a lean build marked by suppleness and grace: a modern dancer bending her willowy frame. Svelte is feminine in connotation and is always applied to women: willowy is not invariably applied to either sex, but since gracefulness is more common among women it is more often associated with them.

Slim and slender refer to relatively slight bodily weight, especially as it appears aesthetically to an observer. Slim , which may apply to either sex, implies a trim figure or physique. It is most often used in the context of someone’s losing or maintaining weight: She kept slim by dieting and by exercising diligently. Slender , as applied to girls or women, often connotes gracefulness, litheness, frailty or fragility: a slender slip of a girl. Slender may be used of men also, in which case the word retains a suggestion of slightness of physique that is not considered unattractive or effeminate; often the term is complimentary, but, whereas slim suggests firmness and strength, slender indicates lightness: a tall, slender man with a sensitive face. Slender is often applied to parts of the body: a slender wrist; slender arms.

A person who is considered much too thin may be called skinny . Skinny is a rather informal term, a child’s word, always blunt and sometimes humorous or touching: a skinny little man. Skinny stresses the idea that a person is underdeveloped – nothing but skin and bone: a skinny , knobby-kneed little girl; tall, skinny models. Skinny may imply also a lack of strength or vigour: a skinny weakling who took a body-building course. Scrawny means small and stringy, lean, bony and undernourished: scrawny urchins scrambling for coins. Scrawny is often found in the expression, a scrawny neck; it is applied to animals as well as humans: a scrawny chicken, too tough to eat. Wiry is usually used of persons, meaning thin but tough and sinewy. It describes one who is quite slim but deceptively strong: a wiry little man, as plucky and pugnacious as a bantam rooster.