scratchy

[skrach-ee]

adjective

scratchier, scratchiest 

1. causing or liable to cause a slight grating noise.

   a scratchy record.

2. consisting of or marked by scratches: scratches.

   a scratchy drawing.

3. uneven; haphazard.

   He plays a scratchy game.

4. causing itching or other minor irritation of the skin.

   a scratchy woolen sweater.

5. causing or liable to cause a scratch or scratches: scratches.

   scratchy bushes.

6. Chiefly British Slang.,  peevish; spiteful.

Other Word Forms

• scratchily adverb
• scratchiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of scratchy¹

First recorded in 1700–10; scratch + -y ¹

Example Sentences

They were hunting for Tokyo Rose, the owner of a voice that sought to sap military morale by spreading propaganda through countless scratchy Allied radios.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Looking at the running lake water makes me remember how scratchy my throat is.

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The children were likewise worn out and went to bed with only minor griping about the lumpy mattresses and thin, scratchy military blankets.

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But she was scratchy for 39 balls before being bowled by Ecclestone, alongside Kavisha Dilhari, as each batter tried and failed to put her under pressure by sweeping or taking her down the ground.

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The fourth album by Dublin's Fontaines DC sees the quintet take their scratchy, sinister sound and run it through a Technicolor filter.

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Related Words

• cracked 
• discordant 
• hoarse 
• raspy 
• raucous