scrawl

[ skrawl ]

/ skrɔl /

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See synonyms for: scrawl / scrawled on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to write or draw in a sprawling, awkward manner: He scrawled his name hastily across the blackboard.

verb (used without object)

to write awkwardly, carelessly, or illegibly.

noun

awkward, careless, or illegible handwriting.

something scrawled, as a letter or a note.

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SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

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Origin of scrawl

1605–15; perhaps to be identified with late Middle English scraule to sprawl, crawl (blend of sprawl and crawl¹)

OTHER WORDS FROM scrawl

un·scrawled, adjectiveun·scrawl·ing, adjective

Words nearby scrawl

scratch together, scratch video, scratch wig, scratchy, scraw, scrawl, scrawler, scrawly, scrawny, scrawp, screak

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use scrawl in a sentence

Artists would use pen names and scrawl them across subway cars, walls, shops, and office buildings.
Catch Him If You Can: Reliving Banksy’s New York Invasion|Alex Suskind|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the past, troops would scrawl notes and slap stickers in these last stops before warzones.
How I’ll End the War: The Trip Over to Afghanistan|Nick Willard|April 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I felt the power in my fingernails to brand the earth with my own scrawl.
Making Lincoln Sexy: Jerome Charyn’s Fictional President|Tom LeClair|March 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Around the edges in her own spidery scrawl she would ask how I was.
She Taught Me to Cook—and Called Me a Klutz|Sandra McElwaine|August 6, 2009|DAILY BEAST

She held it while the trooper bent over the strange scrawl, and ran his eyes along it to learn the context.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Reading, thanks to Sebastian's patience, he might make shift with; he could barely scrawl an awkward fist.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
It was a veritable scrawl, madam, running something like this: 'I return your daughter to you.
The Circular Study|Anna Katharine Green
The general will pardon this scrawl; and should he send an express after us, please to let Mrs. Pike know of the opportunity.
The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume II (of 3)|Elliott Coues
Being seated on the ground, 585 and writing on the back of a book, I hope will plead my excuse for this scrawl.
The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume II (of 3)|Elliott Coues

British Dictionary definitions for scrawl

scrawl

/ (skrɔːl) /

verb

to write or draw (signs, words, etc) carelessly or hastily; scribble

noun

careless or scribbled writing, drawing, or marks

Derived forms of scrawl

scrawler, nounscrawly, adjective

Word Origin for scrawl

C17: perhaps a blend of sprawl and crawl 1

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

scrawl

Origin of scrawl

OTHER WORDS FROM scrawl

Words nearby scrawl

Words related to scrawl

How to use scrawl in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scrawl

Derived forms of scrawl

Word Origin for scrawl