adv
thinly
THIHN-lee
adv
1
In a thin layer or with little thickness.
"Slice the onions thinly for the salad."
2
Sparsely, or with little effort to hide something.
"The village is thinly populated."
"It was a thinly veiled threat."
How to Use Thinly
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishIn a thin way — spread out lightly, sparsely, or barely disguised.
Common pairings
thinly sliced
thinly veiled
thinly populated
Word Forms
more thinly comparative, most thinly superlative
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Slice the onions _____ for the salad.
Etymology
From thin plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.