1
: having a thin skin or rind
thin-skinned oranges
2
: unduly susceptible to criticism or insult : touchy

Examples of thin-skinned in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Such a fragile, thin-skinned pol doesn’t deserve to be in City Hall. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Native to China, thin-skinned Meyer lemons were first brought to America in 1908 by USDA employee Frank N. Meyer, for whom they’re named. Zoe Denenberg, Bon Appétit, 23 Feb. 2024 But in the broad scheme of things, a tough, watertight hide is part of what enabled the ancestors of modern reptiles, birds and mammals to move inland while their thin-skinned amphibian cousins remained close to water. Kate Golembiewski, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2024 But near to the front, these thin-skinned vehicles—or no-skinned, in the case of the Desertcross ATVs—are vulnerable to Ukrainian shells and drones. David Axe, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2023 This thin-skinned vegetable is light green and pear shaped, and can be added to both savory and sweet dishes. Nancie McDermott, Southern Living, 9 Dec. 2023 Trump, who is notoriously thin-skinned, has been unable to escape the barb since. Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, The New Republic, 1 Nov. 2023 The restaurant’s Nepali jhol momos—juicy thin-skinned dumplings stuffed with beef, chicken, or goat and swimming in a broth of chicken stock, tomatoes, and chili peppers—are not to be missed. Caroline Shin, Bon Appétit, 13 Oct. 2023 The general rule is that thin-skinned veggies will want to stay in the high-humidity crisper drawer that has its air vent closed—think lettuce, squash, and cucumbers. Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 21 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thin-skinned.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of thin-skinned was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near thin-skinned

Cite this Entry

“Thin-skinned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thin-skinned. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

thin-skinned

adjective
ˈthin-ˈskind
1
: having a thin skin
thin-skinned oranges
2
: easily bothered by criticism or insult

More from Merriam-Webster on thin-skinned

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