Slender Meaning
/ˈslɛndə/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjThin; slim.
adjMeagre; deficient.
Sentence Examples
We have only a slender chance of success.
The girl has grown into a slender woman.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The model had a very ____ figure, which made the dress fit perfectly.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The tall, ____ tree swayed gently in the light breeze without breaking its thin branches.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Sepia Delft tiles surrounded the fireplace, their crudely drawn Biblical scenes in faded cyclamen blending with the pinkish pine, while above them, instead of a mantelshelf, there was an archway high enough to form a balcony with slender balusters and a tapestry-hung wall behind."
— 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 3, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
"Smooth and slender and naked, Mary Rittersdorf faced her husband."
— 1964, Philip K. Dick, “THIRTEEN”, in Clans of the Alphane Moon, United States: Ace Books, →OCLC; republished London: HarperCollinsPublishers, 1996, →ISBN, page 193:
"The grounds for the conjecture are somewhat slender."
— 1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 9, page 413:
"The slender service between Ellesmere Port and Helsby has been added, too."
— 2022 January 26, Barry Doe, “Fabrik offers an end to hard times”, in RAIL, number 949, page 42:
"Rolled-up sleeves bared her strong forearms, which slendered down when they came to the wrists and hands."
— 1954, Elizabeth Bowen, A World of Love, page 38:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The model had a very ____ figure, which made the dress fit perfectly.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The tall, ____ tree swayed gently in the light breeze without breaking its thin branches.