scrawly

[ skraw-lee ]

adjective,scrawl·i·er, scrawl·i·est.
  1. written or drawn awkwardly or carelessly.

Origin of scrawly

1
First recorded in 1825–35; scrawl + -y1

Other words from scrawly

  • scrawl·i·ness, noun

Words Nearby scrawly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use scrawly in a sentence

  • You better hold up there, scrawly, if you don't want to try the depth of that gutter.

    Ester Ried Yet Speaking | Isabella Alden
  • And every week or so a very scrawly epistle, usually on yellow tablet paper, arrives from Princeton.

    Daddy Long-Legs | Jean Webster
  • He knew this far better than the poor, scrawly, uncultivated handwriting which he had seen so little.

    The Minister's Charge | William Dean Howells
  • A mist came up out of the past and blurred the scrawly letters until they swam before my eyes and faded out of sight.

    Neighbours | Robert Stead
  • She looked at her friend curiously, as Molly glanced at the address written in a rather large, scrawly masculine hand.