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Synonyms

scribbler

1 American  
[skrib-ler] / ˈskrɪb lər /

noun

  1. a writer whose work has little or no value or importance.

  2. a person who scribbles.

scribbler 2 American  
[skrib-ler] / ˈskrɪb lər /

noun

  1. a machine for scribbling wool fibers.

scribbler British  
/ ˈskrɪblə /

noun

  1. derogatory a writer of poetry, novels, journalism, etc

"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

Etymology

Origin of scribbler1

First recorded in 1545–55; scribble 1 + -er 1

Origin of scribbler2

First recorded in 1675–85; scribble 2 + -er 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.

On the final page of “The Snakes That Ate Florida,” Mr. Frazier invokes another great scribbler, E.B.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

One was chaotic and constantly bickering: Natalie Lee, the mellow yet goofy consultant whose love language is sarcasm, and Shayne Jansen, an extremely energetic real estate agent/notebook scribbler who covets validation.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2022

Buck’s is neighbors with the bookstore Politics & Prose, which means authors frequently wine and dine in the restaurant, and Alefantis seems to know every artist, scribbler and socialite in Washington.

From Washington Post • Jun. 9, 2021

I must have just listened and watched everything that was taking place around me, more doglike than future scribbler.

From New York Times • Jun. 14, 2018

This very man was himself the hired scribbler of a party; and why should a commissioner of excise be one of the meanest of mankind?

From Deformities of Samuel Johnson, Selected from his Works by Anonymous

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.