What exactly does diffuse thinning mean?

Diffuse thinning is overused.  Some men will develop generalized thinning in their pattern of balding.  When this happens, I would expect the thinning to continue until some pattern actually appears; however, if one intercedes with drugs like finasteride, these men might reverse the thinning (Miniaturization) or freeze it where it is for some time.  There is another condition called Age-Related Thinning, which is a term that reflects that all of the hair on the head will change its diameter uniformly.  This commonly occurs in men and women over 50 and is more frequent as one ages; however, I have seen this in many young men who had coarse hair in their youth, then the hair caliber reduced to something less than coarse hair. These men reach out to me and think they are balding, but maybe not.