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Suffix · forms adjectives

-skinned

having skin of a specified thickness, colour, or sensitivity; figuratively, describing emotional resilience or vulnerability

In Spanish: de piel / sensible / resistenteLiterary

Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated June 2026

What this suffix does

-skinned forms compound adjectives that describe both the literal quality of skin and the figurative capacity to absorb criticism, insult, and difficulty without damage. Thick-skinned and thin-skinned are among the most psychologically precise compounds in English: they describe not just how someone responds to criticism but how they are constituted to respond to it. Dark-skinned, fair-skinned, and brown-skinned describe physical appearance. The figurative compounds (thick-skinned, thin-skinned) are the more literarily interesting: they use skin as the boundary between self and world, suggesting that resilience is a kind of membrane thickness.

How it is pronounced

-skinned

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Examples

Base word
With -skinned
In a phrase
  • thickthick-skinnedYou need to be thick-skinned to survive in journalism — the criticism from all sides never stops.
  • thinthin-skinnedHe was too thin-skinned for politics; a single critical article could ruin his mood for a week.
  • darkdark-skinnedThe study found that dark-skinned candidates with identical qualifications received fewer callbacks.
  • fairfair-skinnedFair-skinned and light-eyed, she burned easily in the summer sun and avoided the beach by midday.
  • toughtough-skinnedThe tough-skinned veteran of three corporate restructurings barely flinched when the fourth was announced.

Common mistakes

thick-skinned = insensitive and unfeeling as a general character trait
thick-skinned = specifically resistant to criticism, insult, or negative external judgment

"Thick-skinned" describes a protective resistance to criticism, rejection, and negative social feedback — not general emotional numbness. A thick-skinned person can still feel love, joy, grief, and anger deeply. The "thick skin" is specifically a defense against the external judgment of others. Being thick-skinned is almost always considered a professional and social virtue.

thin-skinned = physically having thin or delicate skin
thin-skinned = easily hurt or offended by criticism, rejection, or negative feedback

"Thin-skinned" in figurative use = emotionally vulnerable to criticism and negative judgment; easily hurt or destabilised by social disapproval. The metaphor suggests that the boundary between self and the outside world is unusually thin, allowing every critical blow to penetrate deeply. It is usually used as mild criticism — a person should ideally be resilient enough to handle some negative feedback.

A trick to remember it

Thick-skinned and thin-skinned are one of those rare compound pairs where both words are in common everyday use and mean precisely opposite things on the same spectrum. The skin metaphor works because skin is literally the boundary between inner self and outer world: a thicker skin means a stronger boundary, greater protection, more resistance to what comes from outside. In creative writing these compounds are powerful precisely because they are so anatomically precise — they locate emotional resilience in the body.

Practise what you learned

Exercise 1 · Form the word

Fill in: "The ___ critic could dismiss any review, any rejection, any hostile audience without losing a moment's sleep." (resistant to criticism, not easily hurt by negative judgment)

Hint: Thick + skinned = whose skin (boundary with the world) is thick and protective.

Exercise 2 · Pick the right one

"She was too thin-skinned for the online debate format, where every position was immediately attacked." What does "thin-skinned" mean here?

Exercise 3 · Form the word

Fill in: "The ___ athlete had learned early that every training session would hurt and every coach would push hard, so he simply stopped fighting the discomfort." (having developed strong resistance to difficulty through experience)

Hint: Tough + skinned = whose skin (resilience) has become tough and resistant.

Frequently asked questions

What does the suffix -skinned mean in English?

The suffix -skinned having skin of a specified thickness, colour, or sensitivity; figuratively, describing emotional resilience or vulnerability In Spanish it usually maps to de piel / sensible / resistente.

Can you give an example of a word with -skinned?

"thick" becomes "thick-skinned". It is a typical example of the -skinned suffix.

Other useful suffixes

  • -hearted

    having a specified disposition, spirit, or emotional character

  • -natured

    having a specified kind of innate nature, personality, or fundamental disposition

  • -willed

    having a will of a specified strength or character; describing the force, direction, or quality of a person's determination

Learn every English suffix

-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.

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