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SuitShop
suitshop.com › blogs › news › slacks-vs-dress-pants
Slacks vs. Dress Pants: What’s the Difference? | SuitShop
April 23, 2024 - Slacks and khakis are further trouser options with notable differences. Once again, khakis are typically more casual than slacks and are relaxed in both fit and appearance. They are usually made from cotton twill fabric, offering a softer feel ...
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Nimble Made
nimble-made.com › blogs › news › what-are-slacks
What are Slacks & How They Differ From Dress Pants - Nimble Made
April 12, 2023 - While slacks were once considered ... for both men and women. Slacks are available in a range of colors and patterns to suit different occasions, personal preferences, occasions, and seasons. Some popular colors for slacks include navy blue, gray, khaki, and beige, while popular ...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/malefashionadvice › eli5: differences between dress pants, trousers, slacks and chinos?
r/malefashionadvice on Reddit: ELI5: Differences between dress pants, trousers, slacks and chinos?
November 27, 2017 - Trousers usually refer to the pants that go to a suit. So they will be of the same fabric as the suit and have similar details to dress pants. Slacks more often refers to women's pants but it depends on the context.
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Frank And Oak
ca.frankandoak.com › blogs › frank-and-oak-blog › slacks-vs-dress-pants-understanding-the-difference-and-finding-your-perfect-pair
Slacks vs Dress Pants: Understanding the Difference and Finding Your P – Frank And Oak Canada
The most common khaki colours are brown and beige, and one distinctive trait of these pants is that the stitching is visible. In contrast, most slacks have a slightly tighter fit, come in various colours, and are far more dressy than khakis.
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Lands' End
landsend.com › article › are-slacks-and-khakis-the-same-thing
Are Slacks and Khakis the Same Thing? | Lands' End
For example, hidden elastic sidebands ... will allow for complete comfort. Dressing up shouldn’t keep you from feeling your absolute best! Khakis are more casual than slacks....
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Hockerty
hockerty.com › en-us › blog › slacks-vs-dress-pants
Slacks vs Dress Pants - Is it the same? - Hockerty
November 4, 2024 - Sometimes you can even mix the term slacks with chinos or khakis but that wouldn't be accurate as slacks don't need to be cotton slacks fabric pants, while chinos or khakis main feature is the cotton fabric used to tailor them.
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Black Lapel
blacklapel.com › thecompass › slacks-vs-dress-pants
Slacks vs Dress Pants vs Trousers: What's the Difference? – Black ...
September 24, 2024 - The main difference between slacks and trousers is that slacks fall into the category of trousers. Khakis, chinos, jeans, pants, and slacks fall under the term trousers.
Top answer
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An excert from here:

Slacks implies pants of certain materials which are not part of a suit (jeans are not slacks, and you would not refer to the pair of trousers that came with a suit as "slacks".) It is also more common to use "slacks" to refer to pants worn by women, while men would wear "trousers". Meanwhile, "pants" could refer to slacks, or trousers, or jeans, or just about any form of two-legged outer garment for the lower body.

Note that in AE, "pants" by itself is never understood to mean underwear of any kind, and must be altered in some form (either as "underpants" or as "panties") to have that meaning.

Bill: What's this I hear that the boss walked into your office while you were changing your clothes and caught you in your underwear? Tom: No, but she nearly caught me in my underwear; luckily, I had just put my pants on.

This is an AE perspective but, I would say that trousers and pants are synonyms. With both being any outer garment that covers both legs separately and goes from waist to ankles. Technically slacks is also a synonym, but the informal definition I most frequently hear is that slacks = dress pants. I.E. Pants that you might wear if you were trying to look nice.

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I know the question is tagged AmE - but that wasn't in the original, and hasn't (yet) been confirmed by OP, so I don't see anything wrong with answering from a BrE perspective.

In the UK, pants almost always means underpants. And as OED says, slacks are loosely-cut trousers for informal wear, esp. those worn by women.

I think for many Americans, pants and trousers are effectively synonyms. But so far as I'm aware, "esp. those worn by women" tends to apply to slacks on both sides of the Atlantic.

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Maplewood Online
maplewood.worldwebs.com › forums › discussion › is-there-a-difference-between-slacks-and-pants
Maplewood Online - Is there a difference between slacks and pants??
The level of "sophistication" attached to each term, though, kinda goes pants(low end), slacks (a little better), then trousers (the top of the line). Those of us in the business, though, refer to all of them as pants, with sub terms of casual or dress. ... Of course you did. Next thing you know, someone will equate khakis with chinos and chaos will reign.
Find elsewhere
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YouLookFab
youlookfab.com › welookfab › topic › what-are-khakis-and-why-are-they-a-ylf-no-no
What are khakis? And why are they a YLF "no-no?" - YouLookFab Forum
Khaki is a color. Chinos are hard to do right. They often come in shades of soul-sucking beige. Most women don't feel their best in light colored pants, especially pants that are very hard to get to fit right in a slimming style because the fabric is almost always loose or bags out and isn't as substantial as a jeans fabric, or floats over curves like trouser fabrics.
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President Tailors
president-tailors.com › slacks-vs-dress-pants-guide
Slacks vs Dress Pants – Are They Really the Same?
July 22, 2025 - Slacks are usually made from lightweight, formal fabrics like wool or blends and feature a straight or slightly tapered cut. They’re designed to look sharp and are often paired with dress shirts or blazers.
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Our Everyday Life
oureverydaylife.com › dress-pants-vs-khakis-12622045.html
Dress Pants Vs. Khakis | Our Everyday Life
January 10, 2019 - Slacks are pleated or flat-front, come in multiple colors and are made of linen, cotton and lightweight wool. Slacks, in accordance with their name, are usually not as trim-fitting as one might prefer with a tailored suit. Chinos are very similar to khakis in many ways.
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Fashionplora
fashionplora.com › home › uncategorized › slacks vs pants women: the us style & fit guide
Slacks vs Pants Women: Key Differences & Style Guide
September 9, 2025 - Slacks vs pants for women is a ... both refer to lower-body clothing, slacks are polished and tailored, whereas pants is the broader term covering everything from jeans to joggers....
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UnderFit
underfit.com › blog › slacks-vs-dress-pants
Slacks vs. Dress Pants: Is There A Difference?
December 1, 2024 - Dress slacks can be worn with matching ... settings, or even just a simple t-shirt for a casual look. Khaki pants are considered to be more casual pants than slack pants, and they work particularly ......
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Paulbrownengland
paulbrownengland.com › blog › what-are-slacks
What Are Slacks | Pants, Chinos & Slacks
The adaptability of slacks makes them suitable for a spectrum of settings, from formal occasions to casual outings. When incorporating slacks into a suit ensemble, men can choose a matching blazer for a classic look or mix and match colours for a modern twist. Women can opt for a blazer and dress slacks combination for a sophisticated appearance.
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Truekung
truekung.com › home › women’s slacks explained: what are they, how to wear them, and where to buy them?
Women’s Slacks Explained: Fit, Fabrics, Styling & Where to Buy | Truekung
November 6, 2025 - What are women’s slacks? See definition section. Slacks dress pants: near-synonyms in many stores. Difference between slacks and dress pants: formality and fabric. Slacks and khakis: khakis are cotton chinos; slacks are dressier.
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Truekung
truekung.com › home › slacks vs dress pants: what’s the difference?
Slacks vs Dress Pants: What’s the Difference?
1 day ago - The waist can be more forgiving. Some buyers even ask for comfort waist styles like Sansabelt pants for mature customers who sit all day. I also see “casual slacks for men” and “women’s khaki slacks” when the buyer wants a clean look but not a strict dress code.
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ThreadCurve
threadcurve.com › chinos-vs-khakis-vs-dress-pants
Chinos vs Khakis vs Dress Pants - Threadcurve
February 25, 2025 - Although mostly bought for practical purposes, khakis now exhibit a unique and versatile style, making them perfect for workwear to casual wear. Interchangeably, you’ll find up to 21 different khaki pant varieties available for men and women. Dress pants or slacks are ultimately known as trousers suitable for formal occasions.
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Straight Dope Message Board
boards.straightdope.com › factual questions
What is the difference between slacks and pants? (Women's clothing in particular) - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board
May 24, 2013 - I was talking to a clothing/costume designer who told me that slacks and pants mean different things, especially when talking about women’s clothes. I had to dash, and couldn’t finish talking with him. Any thoughts?
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Quora
quora.com › Whats-the-difference-between-slacks-trousers-and-pants
What's the difference between slacks, trousers and pants? - Quora
Answer (1 of 8): In North America: Trousers generally referred to as men's pants but an older term and still used by tailors and thought of as the pants to a man's suit and sometimes refered to as a man's dress pant. Pants is now a unisex term and general term for anything that is not jeans and ...