thin attendance

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "thin attendance" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation where there are very few people present at an event or gathering. Example: "The meeting had thin attendance, with only a handful of participants showing up."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Arts

Sports

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

He noted the pathetically thin attendance, and later called out one senator on Twitter for leaving halfway through.

The Guardian - Film

Well, perhaps; meanwhile there was a rather thin attendance in stalls and boxes last night, but the lovers of true art in the gallery applauded to the echo".

The New York Times - Arts

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

Attendance at games thinned to embarrassing numbers.

The New York Times - Sports

Attendance was sparse.

The New York Times

As their ranks have thinned with age, however, so too has attendance at their picnic.

The New York Times

Participatory theater is often heralded as a way of growing attendance in an age of thinning live audiences and shrinking budgets.

The New York Times

Attendance around the table will be thin today as the family gears up for the Fourth of July, but recent Sunday dinner conversations have centered on keeping pace with what is, well, a booming fireworks industry.

The New York Times

Even though attendance at smaller tracks can be thin, on the marquee days, when the best horses are competing, crowds consistently number in the tens of thousands from Miami to Arkansas to Southern California.

The New Yorker

The city also employs attendance monitors, but the report said they were stretched thin — 392 people tracking nearly 200,000 students with serious attendance problems — and struggled to cover broad swaths of the city from centralized offices.

The New York Times

Mr. Day will not paint in people who are not in attendance, but he does make allowances for absent pets and thinning manes.

The New York Times

School attendance?

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "thin attendance" to subtly indicate disappointment or concern about the number of people present, particularly when a larger group was anticipated or desired.

Common error

Avoid using "thin attendance" as a scapegoat for poorly planned events. Acknowledge other contributing factors like inadequate marketing or an unappealing program before blaming the low numbers solely on disinterest.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "thin attendance" functions as a noun phrase, where the adjective "thin" modifies the noun "attendance". According to Ludwig, the phrase is correct and usable in written English. It describes the state of having a low number of people present at an event or gathering.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Arts

25%

Sports

25%

Less common in

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "thin attendance" is a grammatically correct and usable phrase, as confirmed by Ludwig, used to describe situations where there are very few people present. Although not a very common expression, it is most frequently found in news and media contexts. Alternatives such as ""poor turnout"" or ""low participation"" can be used interchangeably, depending on the specific nuance you want to convey. When employing the phrase, ensure you are accurately representing the situation and not overlooking other factors that could have contributed to the low numbers.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

poor turnout

Replaces "attendance" with "turnout", focusing on the act of attending rather than the count.

low participation

Shifts the focus to the level of involvement instead of sheer presence.

limited audience

Specifies the attendees as an "audience", implying a performance or presentation.

small crowd

Replaces "attendance" with "crowd", emphasizing the visual aspect of few people gathered.

sparse gathering

Emphasizes the scattered and infrequent nature of the attendance.

underpopulated event

Highlights the fact that the event has fewer people than expected.

scant presence

Focuses on the lack of individuals being there.

meager turnout

Implies the attendance was weak and insufficient.

reduced numbers

Indicates a decrease in the expected or usual number of attendees.

low head count

A more direct, numerical way of stating that few people attended.

FAQs

What does "thin attendance" mean?

"Thin attendance" refers to a situation where very few people are present at an event, meeting, or gathering.

What can I say instead of "thin attendance"?

You can use alternatives like "poor turnout", "low participation", or "small crowd" depending on the context.

Is "thin attendance" negative?

Yes, "thin attendance" typically carries a negative connotation, implying that the number of attendees was lower than expected or desired.

How do I use "thin attendance" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe the situation: "The lecture suffered from "thin attendance", with only a handful of students present."