scrawny

[ skraw-nee ]
See synonyms for scrawny on Thesaurus.com
adjective,scrawn·i·er, scrawn·i·est.
  1. excessively thin; lean; scraggy: a long, scrawny neck.

Origin of scrawny

1
1825–35, Americanism; variant of dial. scranny<Norwegian skran lean + -y1

Other words for scrawny

Opposites for scrawny

Other words from scrawny

  • scrawn·i·ly, adverb
  • scrawn·i·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use scrawny in a sentence

  • She was slight to scrawniness, and, one might have thought, insufficiently clad for the time of year.

    'Me-Smith' | Caroline Lockhart
  • And the scrawniness of stem and blade suggested dehydration and poor soil.

    Storm Over Warlock | Andre Norton

British Dictionary definitions for scrawny

scrawny

/ (ˈskrɔːnɪ) /


adjectivescrawnier or scrawniest
  1. very thin and bony; scraggy

  2. meagre or stunted: scrawny vegetation

Origin of scrawny

1
C19: variant of dialect scranny; see scrannel

Derived forms of scrawny

  • scrawnily, adverb
  • scrawniness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012