scrawlyadj.
/ˈskrɔːli/, U.S. /ˈskrɔli/, /ˈskrɑli/ Badly or untidily written; irregularly designed.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > writing > handwriting or style of > [adjective] > bad > illegible or untidy
unlegible1451
foul?1467
scribbled1550
scribbling1592
crabbed1612
hieroglyphical1613
scrabbled1625
illegible1640
unreadable1655
scribbly1659
pot-hook1674
scrawlinga1754
undecipherable1758
scribblative1829
scrawly1833
scrawny1833
scrawled1848
hieroglyphic1856
pot-hooky1867
scriggly1896
chicken scratch1933
the world > space > shape > misshapenness > [adjective] > irregular in shape
uneven1398
bastard1418
raggedc1450
odd1508
unruled1551
irregular1584
inordinate1667
rambling1676
odd-shaped1704
bizarre1824
scrawled1895
raggedy1896
scrawly1901
free-form1942
1833 Mrs. Stowe in C. E. Stowe Life (1889) 70 The envelope was written in a scrawny, scrawly, gentleman's hand.
1859 G. Wilson & A. Geikie Mem. E. Forbes (1861) iii. 76 Its statements are exceedingly brief, some in ink, many in pencil, all of them very scrawly.
1901 Pall Mall Gaz. 27 May 6/1 Three yellowish eggs with their unmistakable black, scrawly marks.
Derivatives
ˈscrawliness n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > misshapenness > [noun] > irregularity of shape
irregularity1646
in and-outness1824
in-and-outishness1833
ramblingness1835
in and-outism1836
scrawliness1867
society > communication > writing > handwriting or style of > [noun] > bad handwriting > untidy or illegible > quality
illegibility1818
scrawliness1867
crabbedness1883
undecipherability1890
1867 W. James Let. 17 Sept. (1920) I. 103 Excuse the scrawliness of this too hurriedly written letter.
1903 F. W. H. Myers Human Personality II. 168 Before one can feel sure that the resemblance is in more than some formal scrawliness.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1833