thin-skinned

thin-skinned

Emotionally susceptible to or unable to ignore the verbal attacks or criticisms of others. You can't be thin-skinned if you want to be in the entertainment industry. For how much she mocks other people, you wouldn't think she'd be so thin-skinned.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

*thin-skinned

Fig. easily upset or hurt; sensitive. (The opposite of thick-skinned. Typically: be ~; become ~; grow ~.) You'll have to handle Mary's mother carefully. She's very thin-skinned. Jane weeps easily when people tease her. She's too thin-skinned.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

thin-skinned

mod. sensitive to criticism. (Compare this with thick-skinned.) Don’t be so thin-skinned. You can’t expect everyone to like you.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • thick-skinned
  • keep (one's) eye(s) skinned (for someone or something)
  • you can dish it out, but you can't take it
  • slings and arrows
  • the slings and arrows
  • bear the burden (of something)
  • burden
  • shut down emotionally
  • keep your eyes peeled/skinned
  • handbags at dawn
References in periodicals archive
"And more than that, I would like to apologise directly to Nigel for the phrase 'snarling, thin-skinned and aggressive.'.
Ukip MEP stands down in Farage row
Notoriously thin-skinned but a master tactician, the timing delights the beast of Banff.
LOOK out big bankers, big [...]
"Mr Cameron was obviously simply trying to be mildly amusing but God help anybody who tries to be that these days, given how thin-skinned we are" - Actor Christopher Biggins, wondering why the Prime Minister felt he had to apologise for comparing shadow chancellor Ed Balls to someone suffering from Tourette's Syndrome.
They say
MP-TURNED-REALITY TV star Lembit Opik blasted his party leader as Nick Clegg as "thin-skinned" in a conversation with a top US diplomat, according to the latest WikiLeaks revelations.
Opik's Clegg blast appears on WikiLeaks
FORMER Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Lembit Upik told the US ambassador to Britain that Nick Clegg was "thin-skinned", according to the latest batch of leaked documents from whistleblowers' site WikiLeaks.
Opik told US ambassador Clegg was thin-skinned
London, Dec 1 (ANI): WikiLeaks cables have described French president Nicolas Sarkozy as thin-skinned, erratic, tyrannical and hyperactive.
WikiLeaks: Sarkozy is 'thin-skinned, erratic, tyrannical and hyperactive'
Does JAH mean the Freemasons or am I just being paranoid and thin-skinned. Or have they (the Masons) been up to their old tricks again looking after one of their own?
Letter: Bamboozled by 'secret society' VOICE OF THE NORTH
Perhaps part of the reason they are so thin-skinned is because recent commentary on Islam, whether by Danish cartoonists, the Pope or Mr Reid, is so accurate.
Letter: You say - OF course not all terrorists are Muslim
Freefaller position people - on their front with both arms around the pillow - are likely to be thin-skinned.
Sleeping position tells a lot
How thin-skinned West Midlands Police are, judging by theresponse to George Tyndale's article.
YOUR VIEWS: Easy target
Scrub thin-skinned white or red potatoes (1 to 2 in.
Perfect potatoes. (Guide)
The bullet is perfect for medium to large, relatively thin-skinned mammals such as elk or bear, or for an African "one gun" safari.
Nosler .375 Ballistic Tip. (Hunting Gear)
And she is unquestionably a fine, deeply humane person--if a bit thin-skinned about criticism.
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT: A 20th Century Odyssey
He may well bring knowledge, experience, passion, enthusiasm to his few games in charge, but for every one person in the game who says he has all those qualities I've heard another two say he's too thin-skinned and "spits the dummy out" if things don't go his way.
Eamonn Holmes' column: Thumbs up for George
Thin-skinned, Packard frequently over-reacted to attacks on his books, yet he actively sought acceptance from the very academics who rejected him.
Vance Packard and American Social Criticism