Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Extremely thin and slender, resembling a twig: Describes a person, animal, or plant part that is very thin, often to the point of appearing fragile or stick-like.
   • Abounding with or consisting of many small, thin branches: Describes a plant, bush, or tree that has many twigs.

Usage and Examples

• Describing a person's physique:
  • After his illness, he looked pale and twiggy.
  • The model had a famously twiggy frame in the 1960s.
• Describing plants or trees:
  • The twiggy branches of the willow tree brushed against the water.
  • We cleared the twiggy undergrowth from the path.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• The term often carries a neutral or descriptive tone in botanical contexts. When describing a person, it can be neutral, descriptive, or sometimes carry a connotation of excessive thinness, depending on context.
• It is frequently used in similes for emphasis: .

Variants and Related Words

• Twig (n): A slender woody shoot growing from a branch or stem of a tree or shrub.
• Twiglike (adj): Similar in form or appearance to a twig.

Synonyms

• Slender
• Slim
• Spindly
• Wiry (when implying thinness with strength)

Antonyms

• Stout
• Stocky
• Thick
• Bushy (in the botanical sense)

Idioms and Phrases

• Thin as a twig: An idiom meaning extremely thin.
  • The stray dog was thin as a twig.

Adjective

1. thin as a twig