slim

The word “slim” means thin, especially in an attractively slender way. In plain terms, thin (usually said approvingly), or, of a chance or margin, very small.

“Slim” is pronounced SLIHM (/ˈslɪm/ in IPA).

Here is “slim” used in a sentence: “She stayed slim by cycling to work every day.”

Depending on how it is used, “slim” can be an adjective and a verb.

The word “slim” comes from German. Borrowed from Low German or Dutch slim, originally meaning "crooked" or "sly." The meaning gradually softened over centuries into "thin, graceful" in English — what linguists call a rare positive shift in meaning.

“Slim” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Slim” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: thin, especially in an attractively slender way.

Both describe thin people, but the tone differs sharply. "Slim" is complimentary, suggesting an attractively slender, healthy build, while "skinny" often implies someone looks too thin. In polite conversation, "slim" is the safer choice.

It is a well-known quirk of English. A "slim chance" uses slim's sense of "very small; barely enough," so the chance is tiny. "Fat chance" is sarcastic — the speaker really means there is no chance at all — which lands it in the same place, though it is the more dismissive and informal of the two.

Both mean attractively thin, and when describing people they are near-perfect synonyms, though "slender" can sound slightly more literary. "Slim" is the more common choice in everyday speech and in figurative phrases for small amounts, such as "slim chance," "slim margin," and "slim majority."