tinny

tin·ny
T1I1N1N1Y4
US, UK/ˈtɪni/

adjective

Of or pertaining to or resembling tin.

“The object had a tinny appearance.”

UncommonScrabble 8

Meanings

tinny1

adjectivetinny (comparative tinnier or more tinny, superlative tinniest or most tinny)

comparative tinnier · comparative more tinny · superlative tinniest · superlative most tinny

  1. Of or pertaining to or resembling tin.

    The object had a tinny appearance.

  2. Pertaining to the thinness and cheapness of tin or similar-looking metals, in contrast to a heavier, more valuable metal.

    The shop was filled with tinny tourist geegaws.

  3. Pertaining to a thin, unpleasant sound recalling that of tin being rapped.

    The piano was not simply out of tune, but had become downright tinny.

    2 more examples

    You might find yourself listening to the sound your car door makes when it shuts. Is it a cheap tinny sound or a strong clunky sound like the VW?

    2012, Mike Brent, Fiona Dent, The Leader's Guide to Influence

    The wails of the injured and the roars of the dead-on-the-march overwhelmed the tinny speakers in the cell, and they all watched as nearly one thousand people reduced themselves to a few frantic hundred in less than an hour, then settled into a sustained orgy of battery, rapine and rape with no end in sight but the total depopulation of the entire facility.

    2024 September 28, Harry Blank, “Not Ready for Prime Time”, in Deadlined, →ISBN, page 604

tinny2

nountinny (plural tinnies)

plural tinnies

  1. alternativeAlternative form of tinnie.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveof very poor quality; flimsy

adjectivethin and metallic in sound; lacking resonance

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

tinny · noun

From tin + -y (diminutive suffix).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian калаен
  • калаен (kalaen)pertaining or resembling tin
Czech cínový
  • cínovýpertaining or resembling tin
German blechern
  • blechernpertaining or resembling tin
Polish blaszany, brzękliwy
  • blaszanypertaining or resembling tin
  • brzękliwypertaining or resembling tin
Spanish metálico, que suena a hojalata
  • metálicopertaining or resembling tin
  • que suena a hojalatapertaining or resembling tin
Swedish burkig
  • burkigpertaining or resembling tin

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with tinny

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

tinny. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tinny

MLA

“tinny.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tinny. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tinny,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tinny.

Source: tinny on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.