scrabbly

[skrab-lee]

adjective

scrabblier, scrabbliest 

1. insignificantly small or sparse.

   scrabbly tufts of grass sprouting from the parched lawn.

2. scratchy; raspy.

Word History and Origins

Origin of scrabbly¹

First recorded in 1940–45; scrabble + -y ¹

Example Sentences

And yet, there Andrews stood this spring on a scrabbly hill near Starbuck, Wash., looking over his family’s dominion — a 9,700-acre farm and ranch at the edge of the Palouse prairie.

Read more on Seattle Times

Baehrel has concocted a canny fulfillment of a particular foodie fantasy: an eccentric hermit wrings strange masterpieces from the woods and his scrabbly back yard.

Read more on The New Yorker

In its opening pages, the two move in together on the scrabbly tobacco farm that Orren has just inherited.

Read more on The New Yorker

I stepped into the woods, looked around, could not see the crow, but noticed a big stick nest in a scrabbly pine.

Read more on Literature

Swinging enthusiasts say that risk and responsibility are woven into recreation here, whether it is rafting through rapids, riding a scrabbly bike trail or climbing a rock face.

Read more on New York Times