Ask Difference

Thin vs. Small — What's the Difference?

By Tayyaba Rehman & Fiza Rafique — Updated on March 20, 2024
Thin refers to having a small distance between opposite sides or surfaces, while small pertains to limited size, amount, or degree, often in comparison to what is typical or average.
Thin vs. Small — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Thin and Small

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Key Differences

Thin is primarily used to describe the physical characteristic of an object or person that has a small width or depth, implying a slender or narrow shape. It focuses on the dimension of thickness, or lack thereof, and can apply to various entities such as a thin slice of cake, thin hair, or a thin layer of paint. On the other hand, small is a more general adjective that refers to something of limited size, volume, or extent in comparison to others of its kind or to what is considered standard or average. Small can describe the overall dimensions, capacity, or magnitude of an object or concept and is not limited to a single dimension like thin.
While thin often relates to a single dimension (width or depth), small encompasses multiple dimensions or the overall size, making it applicable in a broader range of contexts. For example, a thin book focuses on the slimness of its pages or cover, whereas a small book might be limited in height, width, and thickness.
The choice between thin and small often depends on the aspect of size or dimension one intends to emphasize. Thin is more specific and detailed, often highlighting a notable characteristic of slimness or narrowness, while small provides a more general description of size, implying something is lesser in size or amount than what is typical or expected.

Comparison Chart

Definition

Having a small distance between opposite sides or surfaces; slender or narrow.
Limited in size, amount, or degree; not large or big.

Focus

Emphasizes slimness or narrowness in width or depth.
Emphasizes overall limited size, volume, or extent.
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Application

Often used to describe physical characteristics related to width or depth.
Used more broadly to describe size, volume, capacity, or magnitude.

Contexts

Suitable for describing objects, layers, features, or physical attributes.
Applicable to objects, spaces, quantities, concepts, and physical attributes.

Examples

Thin ice, thin fabric, thin book (focusing on thickness).
Small car, small house, small portion (focusing on overall dimensions or amount).

Compare with Definitions

Thin

Having little thickness or depth.
She preferred wearing thin layers of clothing during the fall.

Small

Insignificant or unimportant.
It was a small mistake, easily forgiven.

Thin

Sparse or scanty.
His hair had grown thin over the years.

Small

Limited in size or extent.
They lived in a small apartment in the city.

Thin

Narrow or slender in form.
The thin alleyway was barely wide enough for a person to pass through.

Small

Lesser in amount or degree.
He felt a small sense of relief when the presentation was over.

Thin

Fine or delicate in texture or structure.
The artist used a thin brush for the intricate details.

Small

Young or younger.
When she was small, she loved to explore the garden.

Thin

Lacking in density or viscosity.
She added water to the sauce to make it thinner.

Small

Limited in scope or scale.
The community theater put on a small production each year.

Thin

With opposite surfaces or sides that are close or relatively close together
A thin line of paint
Thin slices of bread

Small

Being below average in size
A small car.

Thin

Having little, or too little, flesh or fat on the body
A thin, gawky adolescent

Small

Being below average in quantity or extent
A small donation.
A small project.

Thin

Having few parts or members relative to the area covered or filled; sparse
A depressingly thin crowd
His hair was going thin

Small

Limited in importance or significance; trivial
A small matter.

Thin

(of a liquid substance) not containing much solid; flowing freely
Thin soup

Small

Having limited position, influence, or status; minor
"A crowd of small writers had vainly attempted to rival Addison" (Thomas Macaulay).

Thin

Lacking substance or quality; weak or inadequate
The evidence is rather thin

Small

Unpretentious; modest
Made a small living.
Helped the cause in my own small way.

Thin

With little thickness or depth
A thin-sliced loaf
Cut the ham as thin as possible

Small

Not fully grown; very young
A small child.

Thin

Make or become less dense, crowded, or numerous
The trees began to thin out
The remorseless fire of archers thinned their ranks

Small

Narrow in outlook; petty
A small mind.

Thin

Make or become smaller in thickness
Their effect in thinning the ozone layer is probably slowing the global warming trend

Small

Having been belittled; humiliated
Their comments made me feel small.

Thin

Hit (a ball) above its centre.

Small

Diluted; weak. Used of alcoholic beverages.

Thin

Relatively small in extent from one surface to the opposite, usually in the smallest solid dimension
A thin book.

Small

Lacking force or volume
A small voice.

Thin

Not great in diameter or cross section; fine
Thin wire.

Small

Lowercase
Type the password in small letters.

Thin

Having little bodily flesh or fat; lean or slender.

Small

In small pieces
Cut the meat up small.

Thin

Not dense or concentrated; sparse
The thin vegetation of the plateau.

Small

Without loudness or forcefulness; softly.

Thin

More rarefied than normal
Thin air.

Small

In a small manner.

Thin

Flowing with relative ease; not viscous
A thin oil.

Small

A part that is smaller or narrower than the rest
The small of the back.

Thin

Watery
Thin soup.

Small

Small things considered as a group.

Thin

Sparsely supplied or provided; scanty
A thin menu.

Small

Chiefly British Small items of clothing.

Thin

Having a low number of transactions
Thin trading in the stock market.

Small

Not large or big; insignificant; few in number.
A small serving of ice cream.
A small group.
He made us all feel small.

Thin

Lacking force or substance; flimsy
A thin attempt.

Small

(figuratively) Young, as a child.
Remember when the children were small?

Thin

Lacking resonance or fullness; tinny
The piano had a thin sound.

Small

Minuscule or lowercase, referring to written or printed letters.

Thin

Lacking radiance or intensity
Thin light.

Small

Humiliated or insignificant.
The bullies had succeeded in making him feel small.

Thin

Not having enough photographic density or contrast to make satisfactory prints. Used of a negative.

Small

Evincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean.

Thin

In a thin manner
Spread the varnish thin if you don't want it to wrinkle.

Small

Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.
A small space of time

Thin

So as to be thin
Cut the cheese thin.

Small

Synonym of little
Small science

Thin

To make or become thin or thinner.

Small

(archaic) Slender, gracefully slim.

Thin

Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite.
Thin plate of metal;
Thin paper;
Thin board;
Thin covering

Small

That is small the manufactured size.
I'll have a small coffee, thanks.

Thin

Very narrow in all diameters; having a cross section that is small in all directions.
Thin wire;
Thin string

Small

In a small fashion

Thin

Having little body fat or flesh; slim; slender; lean; gaunt.
Thin person

Small

In or into small pieces.

Thin

Of low viscosity or low specific gravity.
Water is thinner than honey.

Small

(obsolete) To a small extent.

Thin

Scarce; not close, crowded, or numerous; not filling the space.
The trees of a forest are thin; the corn or grass is thin.

Small

(obsolete) In a low tone; softly.

Thin

(golf) Describing a poorly played golf shot where the ball is struck by the bottom part of the club head. See fat, shank, toe.

Small

An item labelled or denoted as being that size.
Two smalls and a large, please.

Thin

Lacking body or volume; small; feeble; not full.

Small

One who fits an item of that size.

Thin

Slight; small; slender; flimsy; superficial; inadequate; not sufficient for a covering.
A thin disguise

Small

Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back.

Thin

(aviation) Of a route: relatively little used.

Small

To make little or less.

Thin

Poor; scanty; without money or success.

Small

(intransitive) To become small; to dwindle.

Thin

(philately) A loss or tearing of paper from the back of a stamp, although not sufficient to create a complete hole.

Small

Having little size, compared with other things of the same kind; little in quantity or degree; diminutive; not large or extended in dimension; not great; not much; inconsiderable; as, a small man; a small river.
To compareGreat things with small.

Thin

Any food produced or served in thin slices.
Chocolate mint thins
Potato thins
Wheat thins

Small

Being of slight consequence; feeble in influence or importance; unimportant; trivial; insignificant; as, a small fault; a small business.

Thin

(transitive) To make thin or thinner.

Small

Envincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; - sometimes, in reproach, paltry; mean.
A true delineation of the smallest man is capable of interesting the greatest man.

Thin

(intransitive) To become thin or thinner.
The crowds thinned after the procession had passed: there was nothing more to see.

Small

Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short; as, after a small space.

Thin

To dilute.

Small

Weak; slender; fine; gentle; soft; not loud.

Thin

To remove some plants or parts of plants in order to improve the growth of what remains.

Small

In or to small extent, quantity, or degree; little; slightly.

Thin

Not thickly or closely; in a scattered state.
Seed sown thin

Small

Not loudly; faintly; timidly.
You may speak as small as you will.

Thin

Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite; as, a thin plate of metal; thin paper; a thin board; a thin covering.

Small

The small or slender part of a thing; as, the small of the leg or of the back.

Thin

Not close; not crowded; not filling the space; not having the individuals of which the thing is composed in a close or compact state; hence, not abundant; as, the trees of a forest are thin; the corn or grass is thin.
Ferrara is very large, but extremely thin of people.

Small

Smallclothes.

Thin

Not full or well grown; wanting in plumpness.
Seven thin ears . . . blasted with the east wind.

Small

To make little or less.

Thin

Not stout; slim; slender; lean; gaunt; as, a person becomes thin by disease.

Small

The slender part of the back

Thin

Wanting in body or volume; small; feeble; not full.
Thin, hollow sounds, and lamentable screams.

Small

A garment size for a small person

Thin

Slight; small; slender; flimsy; wanting substance or depth or force; superficial; inadequate; not sufficient for a covering; as, a thin disguise.
My tale is done, for my wit is but thin.

Small

Limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent;
A little dining room
A little house
A small car
A little (or small) group
A small voice

Thin

Not thickly or closely; in a seattered state; as, seed sown thin.
Spain is thin sown of people.

Small

Limited in size or scope;
A small business
A newspaper with a modest circulation
Small-scale plans
A pocket-size country

Thin

To make thin (in any of the senses of the adjective).

Small

Low or inferior in station or quality;
A humble cottage
A lowly parish priest
A modest man of the people
Small beginnings

Thin

To grow or become thin; - used with some adverbs, as out, away, etc.; as, geological strata thin out, i. e., gradually diminish in thickness until they disappear.

Small

Not fully grown;
What a big little boy you are
Small children

Thin

Lose thickness; become thin or thinner

Small

Too small to be seen except under a microscope

Thin

Make thin or thinner;
Thin the solution

Small

Not large but sufficient in size or amount;
A modest salary
Modest inflation
Helped in my own small way

Thin

Lessen the strength or flavor of a solution or mixture;
Cut bourbon

Small

(of a voice) faint;
A little voice
A still small voice

Thin

Take off weight

Small

Made to seem smaller or less (especially in worth);
Her comments made me feel small

Thin

Of relatively small extent from one surface to the opposite or in cross section;
Thin wire
A thin chiffon blouse
A thin book
A thin layer of paint

Small

Lowercase;
Little a
Small a
E.e.cummings's poetry is written all in minuscule letters

Thin

Lacking excess flesh;
You can't be too rich or too thin
Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look

Small

Have fine or very small constituent particles;
A small misty rain

Thin

Very narrow;
A thin line across the page

Small

On a small scale;
Think small

Thin

Having little substance or significance;
A flimsy excuse
Slight evidence
A tenuous argument
A thin plot

Thin

Not dense;
A thin beard
Trees were sparse

Thin

Relatively thin in consistency or low in density; not viscous;
Air is thin at high altitudes
A thin soup
Skimmed milk is much thinner than whole milk
Thin oil

Thin

(of sound) lacking resonance or volume;
A thin feeble cry

Thin

Lacking spirit or sincere effort;
A thin smile

Common Curiosities

Is "thin" always related to physical dimensions?

While "thin" often refers to physical dimensions, it can also metaphorically describe sparse or insufficient non-physical quantities, like a thin argument.

Can an object be both thin and small?

Yes, an object can be both thin and small if it has a slender or narrow shape and is also limited in overall size or volume.

How do "small" and "thin" differ in clothing descriptions?

In clothing, "thin" describes the fabric's thickness (like a thin sweater), while "small" refers to the garment's size relative to standard sizing.

Can "small" imply something positive?

"Small" can have positive connotations, such as intimacy, manageability, or charm, depending on the context (e.g., a small, cozy café).

Does "thin" always have a negative connotation?

"Thin" doesn't always carry a negative connotation; it can be neutral or positive, especially when thinness is desired or advantageous (e.g., thin and light electronics).

Can landscapes or spaces be described as "thin"?

Landscapes or spaces are rarely described as "thin" unless referring to a specific narrow feature (e.g., a thin strip of land).

How do "small" and "thin" apply in art and design?

In art and design, "thin" can describe lines or materials, focusing on delicacy or fineness, while "small" can refer to the scale or size of a work or detail.

Can "small" refer to quantities other than size?

"Small" can refer to quantities that are not directly related to physical size, such as a small chance or a small amount of time.

Is "thin" used in scientific contexts?

"Thin" is used in scientific contexts to describe layers, films, or membranes where the dimension of thickness is a critical characteristic, such as in "thin films" in materials science.

How does perspective affect the use of "small" and "thin"?

Perspective can significantly affect the use of these terms, as what is considered small or thin can vary based on personal experiences, cultural standards, and context.

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Tayyaba Rehman
Tayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Fiza Rafique
Fiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.

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