paperthin

Paper-thin is an English adjective describing material of extremely small thickness, comparable to a sheet of paper, or something perceived as lacking substance. The term is most often used to convey either literal slenderness or a figurative fragility.

The standard spelling is paper-thin, with a hyphen, though it can appear as paperthin in branding or informal writing. In regular prose, hyphenation helps signal the intended meaning and keeps it distinct from related phrases.

In everyday usage, the expression describes physical objects such as membranes, films, or sheets that are very light, delicate, or nearly translucent. Metaphorically, it characterizes arguments, excuses, or plans that have little depth or credibility, as in a paper-thin argument or a paper-thin excuse.

Etymologically, the phrase draws on the familiar comparison to the thickness of ordinary writing paper, using that concrete image to convey extreme thinness or insubstantiality. It is widely used across disciplines, including design, journalism, and everyday speech, to emphasize delicacy, weakness, or lack of substance without implying actual material composition.

In design and media, paper-thin can denote intentional minimalism or extreme lightness, often to evoke a sense of fragility or ethereality. Related ideas include synonyms such as flimsy, translucent, or delicate, and idioms that describe lack of support or strength.

See also: thin, fragile materials, translucent, and related idioms about lacking substance.