slim

Compared meaning: having a thin body (adjective).

比较义项：身材瘦（形容词）。

• slim 本词

  Slim describes someone attractively thin, often praising a well-toned figure; commonly used for people who work to stay in shape.

  slim形容体态吸引人的瘦，常带褒义，指经过锻炼保持匀称的身材。

  After months of training, she finally felt slim and confident in her swimsuit.

  经过几个月的训练，她终于在泳装下感觉自己苗条又自信。

• skinny

  Skinny simply means very thin, often too thin; it is an everyday, casual word that can sound neutral or slightly negative, especially for someone underfed.

  skinny只是表示很瘦，甚至瘦过了头；这是日常口语用词，语气可能中性，也可能略带贬义，常用来形容看起来营养不良的人。

  Her skinny arms looked like they belonged to a child.

  她的手臂很瘦，看起来像小孩子的手臂。

• slender

  Slender is close to slim but stresses gracefulness and a delicate shape; it is a bit more literary or formal and often describes limbs or figures moving elegantly.

  slender与slim相近，但更强调优雅、纤细的体态；语气略偏文学化或正式，常用来形容手脚或身材的优美线条。

  The dancer's slender legs let her move with effortless grace.

  舞者纤细的双腿让她的动作显得优雅从容。

• bony

  Bony means so thin that the bones are visible or prominent; it has a negative, sometimes alarming tone, suggesting illness, starvation or old age rather than attractiveness.

  bony表示瘦到骨头都露出来或突出，带有负面、甚至令人不安的语气，暗示生病、挨饿或年老，而非有吸引力。

  The stray dog's bony ribs showed through its thin fur.

  那只流浪狗瘦骨嶙峋的肋骨从稀疏的毛下透了出来。

All four mean thin. Slim is positive: an attractively thin, well-toned figure. Skinny is casual and neutral, meaning very thin, sometimes too thin. Slender is close to slim but more literary, stressing gracefulness. Bony is negative: so thin the bones show, suggesting illness.

这几个词都表示瘦，但语气和感情色彩不同：slim和slender多含褒义，形容体态优美；skinny较中性、口语化，形容瘦得有点过头；bony含强烈贬义，形容瘦到骨头突出，暗示营养不良或生病。此处不比较slender表示「微薄的」（如资源、机会等）的其他义项。

Compared meaning: small in size or amount (adjective).

比较义项：微小的、体积或数量小的（形容词）。

• slim 本词

  Slim is mainly used for abstract quantities like chances, margins or profits, or to describe a slender body shape; it does not describe ordinary small objects.

  slim 主要用于机会、余地、利润等抽象数量，或形容人体型纤细；它不用来形容普通的小物件。

  The odds of finding survivors after so many days looked increasingly slim.

  过了这么多天，找到幸存者的希望看起来越来越渺茫。

• tiny

  Tiny is a vivid, informal intensifier meaning extremely small, stronger than small; it is common for physical objects, animals and babies but not for abstract chances or margins.

  tiny 是一个生动、口语化的加强说法，意为“极其微小”，语气比 small 更强；常用于实物、动物和婴儿，但不用于抽象的机会或余地。

  A tiny ant carried a crumb far bigger than itself across the kitchen floor.

  一只微小的蚂蚁扛着一块比自己大得多的面包屑，爬过厨房地板。

• small

  Small is the neutral, general-purpose word for size or amount, usable in almost any context, formal or informal, without extra emotional or intensifying color.

  small 是表示体积或数量的中性通用词，几乎适用于任何语境，无论正式或口语，不带额外的感情色彩或强调语气。

  The company started as a small business with only three employees.

  这家公司最初只是一家只有三名员工的小企业。

• little

  Little is informal and often carries affection or warmth alongside smallness, especially before nouns for people, animals or objects; it rarely modifies abstract quantities.

  little 是口语化用词，常带有亲昵或喜爱的感情色彩，多与人、动物或物品的名词连用，很少修饰抽象的数量。

  She keeps a little notebook in her purse to jot down ideas.

  她的手提包里放着一个小笔记本，用来随手记下想法。

Slim, tiny, small, and little all mean small in size or amount. Slim is for abstract things like chances. Tiny is vivid, meaning extremely small. Small is the neutral, general word. Little is informal, often warm or affectionate. Small's 'unimportant' sense is not compared here.

这几个词都可以表示“微小、数量或体积小”，但语气和搭配不同：slim 多用于抽象的机会、余地等，或指人体型纤细；tiny 强调极其微小，语气生动；small 是最常用的中性说法；little 语气口语化，常带亲昵或喜爱的感情色彩。这里不比较 small 的“不重要的”这一义项。