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scrawly

American  
[skraw-lee] / ˈskrɔ li /

adjective

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


Other Word Forms

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.

See Examples For:

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

When the locksmith jiggered it open, he found a letter in large, scrawly handwriting.

From The Guardian Feb. 17, 2011

It's written sort of scrawly and foreign on swell stationery and Old Hickory don't get many of that kind, as you can guess.

From Torchy and Vee by Sewell Ford

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