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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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

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

How to use scrawl in a sentence

Red letters scrawled underneath seem to be Ramone thinking aloud: “I wonder but I think so.”
‘All Good Cretins Go to Heaven’: Dee Dee Ramone’s Twisted Punk Paintings|Melissa Leon|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Notes were scrawled on a large white board, and “The Internet Association” was written in chalk on a blackboard.
Inside Uber’s Political War Machine|Olivia Nuzzi|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The messages that are scrawled in pen on benches are decidedly rated G.
David Best Creates a Temple Made of Memories Outside San Francisco|Debra A. Klein|February 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the liner notes, hand-scrawled by Paul, song by song, are something special.
The Return of the Replacements: Here Comes a Regular|Elizabeth Wurtzel|September 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST

I will never forget seeing the Wall for the first time and the “Free Palestine” graffiti scrawled on it, even on the Israeli side.
Why I Got Banned from Israel|Anna Lekas Miller|August 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
"Give me a word—the world aches without you," was all I scrawled, though I fully meant that she should come to me.
The New Machiavelli|Herbert George Wells
Obscene words were scrawled on the walls, and even on the pulpit itself.
Wayside Courtships|Hamlin Garland
"Nora" was scrawled in Kathie's handwriting on the outside of the note.
We Ten|Lyda Farrington Kraus
A sentence scrawled below the figure seems to be—er—explanation.
Two Men of Sandy Bar|Bret Harte
It was scrawled in the bold, ungrammared style which might have been expected.
The Ghost Breaker|Charles Goddard

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 related to scrawl

How to use scrawl in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scrawl

Derived forms of scrawl

Word Origin for scrawl