Thick vs. Fat — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 30, 2023
Thick describes an object's considerable extent from one surface to its opposite, while fat refers to having excess flesh, often related to body weight.
Difference Between Thick and Fat
Table of Contents
ADVERTISEMENT
Key Differences
Thick is often used to describe the dimension of something from one side to another, indicating a substantial depth or width. Fat, however, is commonly used to describe an excess of flesh on a body, often implying overweight or plumpness.
Thick can refer to a variety of objects, substances, or even concepts, such as a thick book, thick fog, or thick accent, emphasizing the density or compactness. Fat is primarily associated with living beings, particularly humans and animals, and it emphasizes the presence of excess body weight or adipose tissue.
While thick can have a neutral or even positive connotation depending on the context, such as a thick slice of cake or thick, luxurious hair, fat often carries a negative connotation, especially when referring to body size or health.
In some contexts, thick can be used to describe people, often focusing on specific body parts being substantial or sturdy. On the other hand, calling someone fat usually implies an overall bodily condition and can be perceived as derogatory or offensive.
Comparison Chart
Primary Usage
Describes dimension or density
Refers to excess body weight
ADVERTISEMENT
Context
Used for objects, substances, ideas
Mainly used for living beings
Connotation
Can be neutral or positive
Often negative
Application
Broad (books, fog, accents)
Narrow (bodies, food)
Body Reference
Can refer to specific body parts
Implies overall bodily condition
Compare with Definitions
Thick
Having a large distance between opposite sides.
She cut a thick slice of bread.
Fat
Having a lot of excess flesh.
The cat grew fat over the winter.
Thick
Dense or closely packed.
The forest was thick with trees.
Fat
The natural oily substance occurring in animal bodies.
The recipe calls for duck fat.
Thick
Not flowing easily, viscous.
The sauce was too thick to pour.
Fat
In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food.The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple esters of glycerol), that are the main components of vegetable oils and of fatty tissue in animals; or, even more narrowly, to triglycerides that are solid or semisolid at room temperature, thus excluding oils. The term may also be used more broadly as a synonym of lipid—any substance of biological relevance, composed of carbon, hydrogen, or oxygen, that is insoluble in water but soluble in non-polar solvents.
Thick
Substantial in quantity.
The air was thick with tension.
Fat
A natural oily substance occurring in animal bodies, especially when deposited as a layer under the skin or around certain organs
Whales and seals insulate themselves with layers of fat
Thick
With opposite sides or surfaces that are far or relatively far apart
The walls are 5 feet thick
Thick slices of bread
Thick metal cables
Fat
Any of a group of natural esters of glycerol and various fatty acids, which are solid at room temperature and are the main constituents of animal and vegetable fat
Some 40 per cent of our daily calories are derived from dietary fats
Thick
Made up of a large number of things or people close together
The road winds through thick forest
His hair was long and thick
Fat
(of a person or animal) having a large amount of excess flesh
The driver was a fat wheezing man
Thick
(of a liquid or a semi-liquid substance) relatively firm in consistency; not flowing freely
Thick mud
Fat
Large in bulk or circumference
A fat cigarette
Thick
Of low intelligence; stupid
He's a bit thick
Fat
Make or become fat
The hogs have been fatting
Numbers of black cattle are fatted here
Thick
(of a voice) not clear or distinct; hoarse or husky
Guy's voice was thick with desire
A snarling thick voice
Fat
The ester of glycerol and one, two, or three fatty acids.
Thick
Having a very close, friendly relationship
He's very thick with the new master
Fat
Any of various soft, solid, or semisolid organic compounds constituting the esters of glycerol and fatty acids and their associated organic groups.
Thick
The most active or crowded part of something
We were in the thick of the battle
Fat
A mixture of such compounds occurring widely in organic tissue, especially in the adipose tissue of animals and in the seeds, nuts, and fruits of plants.
Thick
In or with deep, dense, or heavy mass
Bread spread thick with butter
Fat
Animal tissue containing such substances.
Thick
Relatively great in extent from one surface to the opposite, usually in the smallest solid dimension; not thin
A thick board.
Fat
A solidified animal or vegetable oil.
Thick
Measuring a specified number of units in this dimension
Two inches thick.
Fat
Obesity; corpulence
Health risks associated with fat.
Thick
Heavy in form, build, or stature; thickset
A thick neck.
Fat
Unnecessary excess
"would drain the appropriation's fat without cutting into education's muscle" (New York Times).
Thick
Having component parts in a close, crowded state or arrangement; dense
A thick forest.
Fat
Having much or too much fat or flesh; plump or obese.
Thick
Having or suggesting a heavy or viscous consistency
Thick tomato sauce.
Fat
Full of fat or oil; greasy.
Thick
Having a great number; abounding
A room thick with flies.
Fat
Abounding in desirable elements
A paycheck fat with bonus money.
Thick
Impenetrable by the eyes
A thick fog.
Fat
Fertile or productive; rich
"It was a fine, green, fat landscape" (Robert Louis Stevenson).
Thick
Hard to hear or understand, as from being husky or slurred
Thick speech.
Fat
Having an abundance or amplitude; well-stocked
A fat larder.
Thick
Very noticeable; pronounced
Has a thick accent.
Fat
Yielding profit or plenty; lucrative or rewarding
A fat promotion.
Thick
(Informal) Lacking mental agility; stupid.
Fat
Prosperous; wealthy
Grew fat on illegal profits.
Thick
(Informal) Very friendly; intimate
Thick friends.
Fat
Thick; large
A fat book.
Thick
(Informal) Going beyond what is tolerable; excessive.
Fat
Puffed up; swollen
A fat lip.
Thick
In a thick manner; deeply or heavily
Seashells lay thick on the beach.
Fat
To make or become fat; fatten.
Thick
In a close, compact state or arrangement; densely
Dozens of braids hung thick from the back of her head.
Fat
Carrying more fat than usual on one's body; plump; not lean or thin.
The fat man had trouble getting through the door.
The fattest pig should yield the most meat.
Thick
So as to be thick; thickly
Slice the bread thick for the best French toast.
Fat
Thick; large.
The fat wallets of the men from the city brought joy to the peddlers.
Thick
The thickest part.
Fat
Bulbous; rotund.
Thick
The most active or intense part
In the thick of the fighting.
Fat
Bountiful.
Thick
Relatively great in extent from one surface to the opposite in its smallest solid dimension.
Fat
Oily; greasy; unctuous; rich said of food.
Thick
Measuring a certain number of units in this dimension.
I want some planks that are two inches thick.
Fat
(obsolete) Exhibiting the qualities of a fat animal; coarse; heavy; gross; dull; stupid.
Thick
Heavy in build; thickset.
He had such a thick neck that he had to turn his body to look to the side.
Fat
Fertile; productive.
A fat soil; a fat pasture
Thick
Densely crowded or packed.
We walked through thick undergrowth.
Fat
Rich; producing a large income; desirable.
A fat benefice; a fat office;
A fat job
Thick
Having a viscous consistency.
My mum’s gravy was thick but at least it moved about.
Fat
Abounding in riches; affluent; fortunate.
Thick
Abounding in number.
The room was thick with reporters.
Fat
Of a character which enables the compositor to make large wages; said of matter containing blank, cuts, or many leads, etc.
A fat take; a fat page
Thick
Impenetrable to sight.
We drove through thick fog.
Fat
(golf) Being a shot in which the ground is struck before the ball.
Thick
(Of an accent) Prominent, strong.
Fat
(theatre) Of a role: significant; major; meaty.
Thick
Greatly evocative of one's nationality or place of origin.
He answered me in his characteristically thick Creole patois.
Fat
Alternative form of phat
Thick
Difficult to understand, or poorly articulated.
We had difficulty understanding him with his thick accent.
Fat
(uncountable) A specialized animal tissue with high lipid content, used for long-term storage of energy: fat tissue.
Mammals that hibernate have plenty of fat to keep them warm during the winter.
Thick
(informal) Stupid.
He was as thick as two short planks.
Fat
Such tissue as food: the fatty portion of (or trimmings from) meat cuts.
Ask the butcher for a few pounds of fat for our greens.
Thick
(informal) Friendly or intimate.
They were as thick as thieves.
Fat
(countable) A lipid that is solid at room temperature, which fat tissue contains and which is also found in the blood circulation; sometimes, a refined substance chemically resembling such naturally occurring lipids.
Dietary fat is not the evil that it was once misapprehended to be; carbs are increasingly recognized as a bigger driver of atherosclerosis via chronic insulin resistance and the vascular processes that cascade from it.
Thick
Deep, intense, or profound.
Thick darkness.
Fat
That part of an organization deemed wasteful.
We need to trim the fat in this company
Thick
(academic) Detailed and expansive; substantive.
Fat
(slang) An erection.
I saw Daniel crack a fat.
Thick
Troublesome; unreasonable
Fat
(golf) A poorly played shot where the ball is struck by the top part of the club head. (see also thin, shank, toe)
Thick
Curvy and voluptuous, and especially having large hips.
Fat
The best or richest productions; the best part.
To live on the fat of the land
Thick
In a thick manner.
Snow lay thick on the ground.
Fat
Work containing much blank, or its equivalent, and therefore profitable to the compositor.
Thick
Frequently or numerously.
The arrows flew thick and fast around us.
Fat
A fat person.
Thick
The thickest, or most active or intense, part of something.
It was mayhem in the thick of battle.
Fat
A beef cattle fattened for sale.
Thick
A thicket.
Fat
(obsolete) A large tub or vessel for water, wine, or other liquids; a cistern.
Thick
(slang) A stupid person; a fool.
Fat
(obsolete) A dry measure, generally equal to nine bushels.
Thick
To thicken.
Fat
To make fat; to fatten.
Kill the fatted calf
Thick
Measuring in the third dimension other than length and breadth, or in general dimension other than length; - said of a solid body; as, a timber seven inches thick.
Were it as thick as is a branched oak.
My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.
Fat
To become fat; to fatten.
Thick
Having more depth or extent from one surface to its opposite than usual; not thin or slender; as, a thick plank; thick cloth; thick paper; thick neck.
Fat
To hit a golf ball with a fat shot.
Thick
Dense; not thin; inspissated; as, thick vapors. Also used figuratively; as, thick darkness.
Make the gruel thick and slab.
Fat
A large tub, cistern, or vessel; a vat.
The fats shall overflow with wine and oil.
Thick
Not transparent or clear; hence, turbid, muddy, or misty; as, the water of a river is apt to be thick after a rain.
Fat
A measure of quantity, differing for different commodities.
Thick
Abundant, close, or crowded in space; closely set; following in quick succession; frequently recurring.
The people were gathered thick together.
Black was the forest; thick with beech it stood.
Fat
An oily liquid or greasy substance making up the main bulk of the adipose tissue of animals, and widely distributed in the seeds of plants. See Adipose tissue, under Adipose.
Thick
Not having due distinction of syllables, or good articulation; indistinct; as, a thick utterance.
Fat
The best or richest productions; the best part; as, to live on the fat of the land.
Thick
Deep; profound; as, thick sleep.
Fat
Work. containing much blank, or its equivalent, and, therefore, profitable to the compositor.
Thick
Dull; not quick; as, thick of fearing.
His dimensions to any thick sight were invincible.
Fat
Abounding with fat
Thick
Intimate; very friendly; familiar.
We have been thick ever since.
Fat
Exhibiting the qualities of a fat animal; coarse; heavy; gross; dull; stupid.
Making our western wits fat and mean.
Make the heart of this people fat.
Thick
The thickest part, or the time when anything is thickest.
In the thick of the dust and smoke.
Fat
Fertile; productive; as, a fat soil; a fat pasture.
Thick
A thicket; as, gloomy thicks.
Through the thick they heard one rudely rush.
He through a little window cast his sightThrough thick of bars, that gave a scanty light.
Through thick and thin she followed him.
He became the panegyrist, through thick and thin, of a military frenzy.
Fat
Rich; producing a large income; desirable; as, a fat benefice; a fat office; a fat job.
Now parson of Troston, a fat living in Suffolk.
Thick
Frequently; fast; quick.
Fat
Abounding in riches; affluent; fortunate.
Persons grown fat and wealthy by long impostures.
Thick
Closely; as, a plat of ground thick sown.
Fat
Of a character which enables the compositor to make large wages; - said of matter containing blank, cuts, or many leads, etc.; as, a fat take; a fat page.
Thick
To a great depth, or to a greater depth than usual; as, land covered thick with manure.
Fat
To make fat; to fatten; to make plump and fleshy with abundant food; as, to fat fowls or sheep.
We fat all creatures else to fat us.
Thick
To thicken.
The nightmare Life-in-death was she,Who thicks man's blood with cold.
Fat
To grow fat, plump, and fleshy.
An old ox fats as well, and is as good, as a young one.
Thick
The location of something surrounded by other things;
In the midst of the crowd
Fat
A soft greasy substance occurring in organic tissue and consisting of a mixture of lipids (mostly triglycerides);
Pizza has too much fat
Thick
Not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions;
An inch thick
A thick board
A thick sandwich
Spread a thick layer of butter
Thick coating of dust
Thick warm blankets
Fat
A kind of body tissue containing stored fat that serves as a source of energy; adipose tissue also cushions and insulates vital organs;
Fatty tissue protected them from the severe cold
Thick
Closely crowded together;
A compact shopping center
A dense population
Thick crowds
Fat
Excess bodily weight;
She found fatness disgusting in herself as well as in others
Thick
Relatively dense in consistency;
Thick cream
Thick soup
Thick smoke
Thick fog
Fat
Make fat or plump;
We will plump out that poor starving child
Thick
Spoken as if with a thick tongue;
The thick speech of a drunkard
His words were slurred
Fat
Having much flesh (especially fat);
He hadn't remembered how fat she was
Thick
Wide from side to side;
A heavy black mark
Fat
Having a relatively large diameter;
A fat rope
Thick
Hard to pass through because of dense growth;
Dense vegetation
Thick woods
Fat
Containing or composed of fat;
Fatty food
Fat tissue
Thick
(of darkness) very intense;
Thick night
Thick darkness
A face in deep shadow
Deep night
Fat
Lucrative;
A juicy contract
A nice fat job
Thick
Abundant;
A thick head of hair
Fat
Marked by great fruitfulness;
Fertile farmland
A fat land
A productive vineyard
Rich soil
Thick
Heavy and compact in form or stature;
A wrestler of compact build
He was tall and heavyset
Stocky legs
A thick middle-aged man
A thickset young man
Fat
A chubby body;
The boy had a rounded face and fat cheeks
Thick
(used informally) associated on close terms;
A close friend
The bartender was chummy with the regular customers
The two were thick as thieves for months
Fat
Large in amount or size.
They landed a fat contract.
Thick
Used informally
Fat
Rich or lucrative.
He received a fat bonus this year.
Thick
Abundantly covered or filled;
The top was thick with dust
Fat
Plentiful or abundant.
The land was fat and fertile.
Thick
With a thick consistency;
The blood was flowing thick
Thick
In quick succession;
Misfortunes come fast and thick
Thick
Not clear or distinct; muffled.
His voice was thick with emotion.
Common Curiosities
What does thick primarily describe?
Thick primarily describes an object’s dimension from one surface to its opposite.
Can thick describe a liquid?
Yes, thick can describe a liquid that is not flowing easily or is viscous.
Can thick be used in a positive sense?
Yes, thick can have a positive connotation, like a thick carpet or thick hair.
What does fat refer to?
Fat refers to having excess flesh or adipose tissue, often related to body weight.
Is fat always negative?
Fat often has a negative connotation, especially regarding body weight, but it can be neutral when referring to food ingredients.
Are thick and fat interchangeable?
No, thick and fat are not interchangeable as they describe different attributes.
Can thick describe a person?
Yes, but it usually refers to specific attributes rather than overall body weight.
Is thick used to describe body parts?
Yes, thick can describe body parts, often focusing on them being substantial or sturdy.
Does fat always imply overweight?
While commonly associated with overweight, fat can also refer to the natural substance in bodies or richness in food.
Does thick refer to the texture of substances?
Yes, thick can refer to the dense or viscous texture of substances.
Is fat offensive when referring to a person?
Referring to a person as fat can be perceived as derogatory or offensive.
Can fat be used to describe richness?
Yes, fat can describe something rich or lucrative, like a fat bonus.
Can thick have a negative meaning?
Thick can have a negative meaning in certain contexts, like a thick accent making understanding difficult.
Can fat be used metaphorically?
Yes, fat can be used metaphorically to describe something abundant or rich.
Is fat used in cooking?
Yes, fat is used in cooking, referring to the natural oily substance from animals.
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Protestant vs. AnglicanNext Comparison
Fragmentation vs. BuddingAuthor Spotlight
Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.