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scrawly

American  
[skraw-lee] / ˈskrɔ li /

adjective

scrawlier, scrawliest
  1. written or drawn awkwardly or carelessly.


Other Word Forms

  • scrawliness noun

Etymology

Origin of scrawly

First recorded in 1825–35; scrawl + -y 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And finally they’re filled with a hand-drawn animation, in scrawly white on black, of a crowd of figures crossing and recrossing some empty urban space.

From New York Times • Nov. 1, 2023

Ike no Taiga, who was immersed in literati culture and wowed people by painting, impromptu, with his fingers, gives us big scrawly portraits of Chinese eccentrics.

From New York Times • Jan. 30, 2014

Newly minted Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel signed off on a letter to a former Senate colleague this week with a scrawly, nearly illegible version of his signature.

From Washington Post • Mar. 13, 2013

Cocker fishes a small, violet-coloured notebook from the inside pocket of his jacket and opens it at a random page full of tight, scrawly handwriting.

From The Guardian • Sep. 26, 2012

Penmanship does not tend to improve, and some of the scrawly MSS. sent in to publishers are enough to create dismay in the stoutest heart.

From How to Write a Novel A Practical Guide to the Art of Fiction by Anonymous