Meanings
adjectivethick-skinned (comparative thicker-skinned, superlative thickest-skinned)
comparative thicker-skinned · superlative thickest-skinned
- Having a thick skin.
- Not easily offended.
- Insensitive to the feelings of others; callous.
- obsoleteObtuse, thick, intellectually dull or insensitive.
They that are ſo thick skinned as ſtill to credit the ſtory of the Phœnix, may ſay ſomething for animall burning: […]
1658, Thomas Browne, “Hydriotaphia, Urne-buriall. […]. Chapter I”, in Hydriotaphia, Urne-buriall, […] Together with The Garden of Cyrus, […], London: […] Hen[ry] Brome […], →OCLC, page 1
Synonyms & antonyms
Opposite
adjectiveinsensitive to criticism
Similar
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Ancient Greek παχύδερμος
- παχύδερμος (pakhúdermos)having a thick skin
Bulgarian дебелокож, безчувствен
- дебелокож (debelokož)having a thick skin
- безчувствен (bezčuvstven)insensitive
- нечувствителен (nečuvstvitelen)insensitive
Chinese Mandarin 厚臉皮 /厚脸皮, 無神經 /无神经
- 厚臉皮 /厚脸皮 (hoù liǎnpí)not easily offended
- 無神經 /无神经 (wú shénjīng)insensitive
Dutch olifantenhuid
- olifantenhuidnot easily offended
Finnish paksunahkainen, paksunahkainen
- paksunahkainenhaving a thick skin
- paksunahkainennot easily offended
- paksunahkaineninsensitive
French avoir le cuir épais, avoir le cuir épais
- avoir le cuir épaisnot easily offended
- avoir le cuir épaisinsensitive
Icelandic skinnþykkur, með þykkt skinn
- skinnþykkurhaving a thick skin
- með þykkt skinnhaving a thick skin
- með þykkt hýðihaving a thick skin
- ekki hörundsárnot easily offended
- ekki viðkvæmurnot easily offended
- kaldgeðjainsensitive
- tilfinningalausinsensitive
- harðgeðjainsensitive
- harðlyndurinsensitive
- harðbrjóstainsensitive
- fólskulegurinsensitive
Polish gruboskórny, gruboskórny
- gruboskórnynot easily offended
- gruboskórnyinsensitive
Russian толстоко́жий, толстоко́жий
- толстоко́жий (tolstokóžij)having a thick skin
- толстоко́жий (tolstokóžij)not easily offended
- нечувстви́тельный (nečuvstvítelʹnyj)insensitive
- толстоко́жий (tolstokóžij)insensitive
Spanish tener el cuero duro, insensible
- tener el cuero duronot easily offended
- insensibleinsensitive
Welsh croeniog
- croenioghaving a thick skin
Cite this entry
APA
thick-skinned. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thick-skinned
MLA
“thick-skinned.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thick-skinned. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thick-skinned,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thick-skinned.
Source: thick-skinned on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.