Tinny
adjective
Having a metallic taste or sound.
The cheap wine had a tinny taste, I didn't like it. His car stereo makes music sound tinny.
Often appears as...
- tinny taste
- tinny sound
Usage tips
Disapproving
adjective
Lightweight or thin.
The tinny structure could not withstand the storm.
Often appears as...
- tinny structure
- tinny material
Usage tips
Disapproving
noun
(Australian, New Zealand) A can of beer.
Let's crack open a couple of tinnies mate.
Often appears as...
- crack open a tinny
- cold tinny
Usage tips
Informal, Neutral
Colloquial
adjective
Having a metallic taste or sound.
The cheap wine had a tinny taste, I didn't like it. His car stereo makes music sound tinny.
Often appears as...
- tinny taste
- tinny sound
Usage tips
Disapproving
adjective
Lightweight or thin.
The tinny structure could not withstand the storm.
Often appears as...
- tinny structure
- tinny material
Usage tips
Disapproving
noun
(Australian, New Zealand) A can of beer.
Let's crack open a couple of tinnies mate.
Often appears as...
- crack open a tinny
- cold tinny
Usage tips
Informal, Neutral
Colloquial
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Negative Connotation
Describes something of poor quality, often related to sound or taste, giving a negative impression.
That speaker is really tinny; I think it's broken.
Pro Tip 2/3Sound Quality
Used when high-pitched or sharp sounds lack richness or depth, typically in audio equipment or music.
Avoid those headphones, they make everything sound tinny.
Pro Tip 3/3Not for Quality
Steer clear of using 'tinny' to describe high-quality products; it's usually for cheaper items.
This pan is a bit tinny; my old one cooked much better.
Pro Tip 1/3Negative Connotation
Describes something of poor quality, often related to sound or taste, giving a negative impression.
That speaker is really tinny; I think it's broken.
Pro Tip 2/3Sound Quality
Used when high-pitched or sharp sounds lack richness or depth, typically in audio equipment or music.
Avoid those headphones, they make everything sound tinny.
Pro Tip 3/3Not for Quality
Steer clear of using 'tinny' to describe high-quality products; it's usually for cheaper items.
This pan is a bit tinny; my old one cooked much better.
Pro Tip 1/3Negative Connotation
Describes something of poor quality, often related to sound or taste, giving a negative impression.
That speaker is really tinny; I think it's broken.
Pro Tip 2/3Sound Quality
Used when high-pitched or sharp sounds lack richness or depth, typically in audio equipment or music.
Avoid those headphones, they make everything sound tinny.
Pro Tip 3/3Not for Quality
Steer clear of using 'tinny' to describe high-quality products; it's usually for cheaper items.
This pan is a bit tinny; my old one cooked much better.
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Video examples
How frustration can make...
There'd been a mistake. The opera house had provided the wrong instrument. This one had this harsh, tinny upper register, because all the felt had worn away. The black notes were sticking, the white notes were out of tune,
Video examples
Did Man Kill the...
instead of killing them perhaps be our competed tinny and attles we may have been better at finding different source of food whatever happened modern humans
Video examples
Sir David Attenborough...
they were big creatures even larger than i'd imagined at least three feet tall and the tinny voice of the recorder seemed to hold them fascinated
Video examples
How frustration can make...
There'd been a mistake. The opera house had provided the wrong instrument. This one had this harsh, tinny upper register, because all the felt had worn away. The black notes were sticking, the white notes were out of tune,
Video examples
Did Man Kill the...
instead of killing them perhaps be our competed tinny and attles we may have been better at finding different source of food whatever happened modern humans
Video examples
Sir David Attenborough...
they were big creatures even larger than i'd imagined at least three feet tall and the tinny voice of the recorder seemed to hold them fascinated
Example 1 of 3
Quote examples
Jane Siberry
Canadian Musician
When I made my way across childhood to the tinny AM radio, it was dark. Lights out. I listened intently. More intently than I ever had before. Something was speaking to my unformed-ness like a long lost friend. Something that I had never met but forgotten nonetheless. I was 'realizing' that music was 'different' from other things in life.
Quote examples
Evan Daugherty
American Writer
Very often, things that people may think come from the writer, very often don't. There's a lot of cooks in the kitchen when it comes to making a movie. When you hear a line of dialogue that sounds kind of tinny, it's pretty easy to cite the screenwriter. But there's a lot of stuff that goes into making a movie.
Quote examples
Tony Bennett
American Musician
When you hear a great two-track of a performance in Carnegie Hall, let's say, it sounds like you're right there at that moment. It's true to reality. And the closer it gets, once it gets too technical, it becomes very tinny to hear notes. It doesn't sound right. It has to be natural.
Quote examples
Grace VanderWaal
American Musician
I love colors, but I also love rich sounds. And I feel like when it comes to colored ukuleles, people assume they're cheap or that they'll have a tinny sound. And I feel like it would be really beautiful to have a rich color but also to have a rich sound.
Quote examples
Eric Liu
American Writer
Talk of citizenship today is often thin and tinny. The word has a faintly old-fashioned feel to it when used in everyday conversation. When evoked in national politics, it's usually accompanied by the shrill whine of a descending culture-war mortar.
Quote examples
George Galloway
British Politician
There are those who wrap themselves in flags and blow the tinny trumpet of patriotism as a means of fooling the people.
Quote examples
Zaha Hadid
British Architect
My buildings are not particularly expensive. It is not a tin shed. If you want a tinny car, you pay for that.
Quote examples
George Harrison
British Musician
I'm not a fan of that sort of punky, heavy, tinny stuff. I like a nice melody.
Quote examples
Jane Siberry
Canadian Musician
When I made my way across childhood to the tinny AM radio, it was dark. Lights out. I listened intently. More intently than I ever had before. Something was speaking to my unformed-ness like a long lost friend. Something that I had never met but forgotten nonetheless. I was 'realizing' that music was 'different' from other things in life.
Quote examples
Evan Daugherty
American Writer
Very often, things that people may think come from the writer, very often don't. There's a lot of cooks in the kitchen when it comes to making a movie. When you hear a line of dialogue that sounds kind of tinny, it's pretty easy to cite the screenwriter. But there's a lot of stuff that goes into making a movie.
Quote examples
Tony Bennett
American Musician
When you hear a great two-track of a performance in Carnegie Hall, let's say, it sounds like you're right there at that moment. It's true to reality. And the closer it gets, once it gets too technical, it becomes very tinny to hear notes. It doesn't sound right. It has to be natural.
Quote examples
Grace VanderWaal
American Musician
I love colors, but I also love rich sounds. And I feel like when it comes to colored ukuleles, people assume they're cheap or that they'll have a tinny sound. And I feel like it would be really beautiful to have a rich color but also to have a rich sound.
Quote examples
Eric Liu
American Writer
Talk of citizenship today is often thin and tinny. The word has a faintly old-fashioned feel to it when used in everyday conversation. When evoked in national politics, it's usually accompanied by the shrill whine of a descending culture-war mortar.
Quote examples
George Galloway
British Politician
There are those who wrap themselves in flags and blow the tinny trumpet of patriotism as a means of fooling the people.
Quote examples
Zaha Hadid
British Architect
My buildings are not particularly expensive. It is not a tin shed. If you want a tinny car, you pay for that.
Quote examples
George Harrison
British Musician
I'm not a fan of that sort of punky, heavy, tinny stuff. I like a nice melody.
Example 1 of 8
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