thinness
/ˈθɪnnəs/ (bre, ipa) · [θˈɪnnɪs] /ˈθɪnnəs/ (ame, ipa) · [θˈɪnnɪs] /ˈthinnə̇s How to pronounce thinness (audio)/ (ame, mw)
thinness — 名詞
1. the condition of someone's body weighing very little, so that their bones show o
瘦弱
身體缺乏脂肪、骨骼明顯可見的狀態
the condition of someone's body weighing very little, so that their bones show or can be felt under the skin
Priya's thinness worried the school nurse, who called her parents that afternoon.
Priya 的瘦弱讓學校護士感到擔心，當天下午就打電話給她的父母。
thinness + worried — often signals a health concern
The vet mentioned the thinness of the rescued fox to every volunteer.
獸醫向每位志工提到了那隻獲救狐狸的瘦弱狀況。
Diego's thinness startled his sister when he walked through the door after the three-week trek.
Diego 三週跋涉後走進家門，他的瘦弱嚇了妹妹一跳。
Kwame could see the thinness in his grandmother's arms as she knitted.
Kwame 看著祖母編織時，能看出她手臂的瘦弱。
The doctor wrote 'unexplained thinness' on the chart and ordered more tests.
醫生在病歷上寫下「不明原因的瘦弱」並安排更多檢查。
- slimness
more positive; suggests an attractive, healthy leanness
- skinniness
more informal and often negative; implies an unattractive lack of flesh
- leanness
suggests a fit, muscular lack of fat, often from exercise or diet
文法句型
the thinness of + person/animal
用法筆記
Often used in medical or health contexts. Can carry a negative tone when describing people (suggesting illness or malnutrition), but may be neutral when referring to a natural body type.
常見錯誤
2. the quality of a flat object — such as a phone, a credit card, or a sheet of pap
薄；細
物體兩面之間距離很小的特性
the quality of a flat object — such as a phone, a credit card, or a sheet of paper — having very little depth when measured from one side to the other
Sofia admired the phone's thinness when it slid easily into her pocket.
Sofia 很喜歡那支手機輕薄的設計，輕鬆就能滑進口袋裡。
thinness of manufactured objects — often positive
Amara tested the thinness of the ice with her boot before stepping forward.
Amara 用靴子試了冰層有多薄，才敢向前踏出一步。
Marco cut the vegetables with care, aware of the thinness of each slice.
Marco 小心地切著蔬菜，因為他知道每一片都切得很細薄。
The thinness of the book surprised Lucia, who had expected a longer story.
那本書薄得出乎 Lucia 的意料，她本以為故事會更長。
Akira measured the thinness of the steel wire before it went into production.
Akira 在鋼絲投入生產前先量了它有多細。
- slenderness
used for objects that are long as well as thin, like a pencil or a column
- fineness
suggests delicate, high-quality thinness, e.g. fine hair or gold thread
文法句型
the thinness of + physical object
用法筆記
Used for physical objects, not for people or abstract ideas. Common with materials, sheets, layers, and manufactured items.
3. the fact that something contains very few people or very little of what you woul
稀疏；稀少
人或物的數量或密度很低的狀態
the fact that something contains very few people or very little of what you would normally expect — for example, only a handful of people turning up at a concert, or a story that skips over important details
Fatima was struck by the thinness of the crowd at the evening concert.
Fatima 對晚間音樂會觀眾的稀疏感到驚訝。
The judge dismissed the case against Tariq, citing the thinness of the evidence — a single blurry photograph.
法官駁回了對 Tariq 的案件，理由是證據過於稀少——只有一張模糊的照片。
thinness of evidence — common collocation in legal contexts
Rohan shut the book halfway through, annoyed by the thinness of detail in the final chapters.
Rohan 讀到一半就闔上書，對最後幾章細節的稀疏感到不滿。
The thinness of early-morning traffic let Elena reach work in record time.
清晨公路車流稀疏，讓 Elena 創下最短通勤紀錄。
Ms. Chen looked around the half-empty room and muttered about the thinness of attendance that Friday.
Ms. Chen 環顧半空的教室，嘀咕著那個星期五出席率的稀疏。
- sparseness
closer match for physical distribution; 'thinness of hair' ≈ 'sparseness of hair'
- scarcity
focuses on shortage rather than low density; 'scarcity of food' is about lack, not thinness
文法句型
the thinness of + crowd/evidence/traffic/detail
用法筆記
Typically followed by 'of' plus a noun describing something measurable: crowd, traffic, evidence, detail. The noun must be something that can be dense or sparse, not a physical depth.
常見錯誤
4. the lack of substance or strength in an argument, excuse, story, or explanation
薄弱；空洞
內容不充實、缺乏說服力的狀態
the lack of substance or strength in an argument, excuse, story, or explanation that makes it fail to convince anyone
The thinness of Marco's excuse made the manager shake his head and demand the truth.
Marco 的藉口太過薄弱，經理搖了搖頭，要求他說出實情。
thinness of excuse — describing a weak justification
Yara leaned over and muttered about the thinness of the sales pitch after three empty slides.
Yara 側過身嘀咕著，三張空白投影片後的銷售簡報太過空洞。
Half an hour in, Lucia leaned over and noted the thinness of the film's plot.
電影看了半小時，Lucia 湊過來指出劇情的薄弱。
The thinness of the company's apology — two lines on social media — only made the public angrier.
公司道歉只有社群媒體上的兩行字，其薄弱反而激怒了大眾。
The journalist waved the thin report and questioned the thinness of its account of the factory fire.
記者揮了揮那份薄薄的報告，質疑其對工廠火災描述的空洞。
- weakness
broader; can apply to people, structures, and arguments equally
- flimsiness
suggests something easily disproved or seen through, like a bad excuse
- shallowness
focuses on lack of depth or thought, e.g. a shallow argument with no real ideas
文法句型
the thinness of + excuse/argument/plot/explanation
用法筆記
Almost always used with abstract nouns: excuse, argument, plot, explanation, apology. The thing described must be an attempt to persuade, convince, or satisfy.
常見錯誤
5. the quality of a liquid that makes it flow very easily, usually because too much
稀淡
液體過稀、像水一樣容易流動的狀態
the quality of a liquid that makes it flow very easily, usually because too much water has been added and not enough solid ingredients remain
The thinness of the soup told Akira the cook had added too much water.
湯的稀淡讓 Akira 一喝就知道廚師加了太多水。
thinness of soup/sauce — signalling too much liquid
The chef checked the thinness of the sauce before taking the pan off the heat.
主廚在關火前檢查了醬汁的稀淡程度。
Diego complained about the thinness of the paint, which dripped straight off the wall.
Diego 抱怨油漆的稀淡，剛刷上牆就滴了下來。
The thinness of the waiting-room coffee made Priya long for a proper cup.
候診室咖啡的稀淡讓 Priya 很想喝到一杯像樣的咖啡。
Fatima tested the thinness of the batter by lifting the spoon and watching it drip.
Fatima 舀起一匙麵糊，看著它滴落的速度來判斷稀稠程度。
- wateriness
more specific; always negative and refers to too much water content
- fluidity
neutral; describes how easily a liquid flows without judging whether it should be thicker
文法句型
the thinness of + liquid/sauce/paint/soup
用法筆記
Common in cooking and painting contexts. The liquid being described is usually something that should normally be thicker — soup, sauce, batter, paint, or coffee.
6. the condition of air when it has far less oxygen than the air people normally br
稀薄
空氣含氧量低於正常值的狀態
the condition of air when it has far less oxygen than the air people normally breathe, making it harder to take in enough with each breath and often found at high altitudes
The thinness of the air at the mountain summit left Kwame panting for several minutes.
山頂空氣的稀薄讓 Kwame 喘了好幾分鐘。
thinness of the air at altitude — linked to breathing difficulty
The pilot warned about the thinness of the air before the passengers removed their masks.
飛行員在乘客摘下面罩前，先警告了高空空氣稀薄的問題。
Sofia felt dizzy from the thinness of the air inside the old mine shaft.
Sofia 因為舊礦坑裡空氣稀薄而感到頭暈。
The thinness of the air on the high plateau forced the team to stop and rest often.
高原上空氣的稀薄迫使團隊頻頻停下來休息。
Rohan trained for weeks in a special room that copied the thinness of air at altitude.
Rohan 在一個模擬高海拔空氣稀薄的特別房間裡訓練了好幾週。
- rarefaction
technical physics term for reduced air density; not for everyday conversation
- density
of air; a more scientific term
文法句型
the thinness of the air
用法筆記
Used almost exclusively for high-altitude settings. 'Thin air' is the more common everyday collocation, but 'the thinness of the air' is the equivalent noun phrase.