Skip to main content
scabrous

scabrous

1 9.9
Rough to the touch with many small bumps or scales
  • adjective
  • /ˈskæbrəs/
translation icon : rugoso
  • He carefully examined the scabrous texture of the old stone wall, noting its uneven surface.

Examples

  • The surface of the tree was scabrous and rough, covered with tiny bumps and scales.

  • My parents were quietly horrified, but as I stood there in the empty flat with its bare floors and scabrous walls, I felt almost delirious with joy: because the flat truly was empty, empty of echoes, of ghosts: for the first time in five years, I was alone.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Suddenly, scabrous hands reach from inside the cell, grabbing d'Artagnan by the throat.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Barricaded in the attic, he directed his attention to his hand, a scabrous island surrounded by a pink-and-scarlet sea.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Now she sat at a scabrous metal desk opposite Stu, completing the paperwork, thinking about going back to her apartment, maybe doing some sketching.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The same kind of qualification appended at or near the end of a generally scabrous physical description even informs Hawthorne's portrait of Philip Salomons: "And yet his manners and aspect, in spite of all, were those of a man of the world, and a gentleman."

    Academic text (2012)
  • Eddie passes him the crack pipe, lets him suck greedily for a few seconds before ripping it out of his scabrous mouth and offering it to Hull, who, with a grimace that gets laughs, declines.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • While gardening, she encountered scabrous roots that were difficult to dig out from the ground.

Synonyms

scaly
vsscabrous
15 3.3

A surface with small, flat pieces like fish or reptile skin

is about roughness from small projections rather than merely looking layered
textured
vsscabrous
13 4.1

Having a surface you can feel that is not smooth

is specifically rough because of small projections or scale like bumps
scratchy
vsscabrous
8 3.2

Rough on the skin and slightly irritating

is rough due to small projections rather than causing skin irritation
squamous
vsscabrous
  • Specialized
1 8.6

Covered in small, flat scales like a snake or fish

is focused on roughness from small projections rather than only scale formation
leprose
vsscabrous
  • Archaic
9.9

Rough and covered with small scales or powder

is rough due to small projections or scales rather than surface flaking
lepidote
vsscabrous
  • Specialized
9.9

Rough to the touch because it is covered with small scales

is about roughness caused by small projections rather than larger flakes
scurfy
vsscabrous
9.9

A surface that has small dry flakes like dandruff

is rough because of small raised projections rather than flaking skin
verrucous
vsscabrous
  • Specialized
9.9

Having a rough, bumpy surface like a wart

is rough from small projections or scales rather than from wart like bumps
rough-textured
vsscabrous
3.7

A surface that feels bumpy or not smooth to the touch

is about roughness from many small projections rather than general unevenness
coarse-textured
vsscabrous
4.9

Having a rough surface that feels slightly scratchy

is about fine projections or scales rather than broad coarse texture
sandpapery
vsscabrous
7.0

Feels rough and slightly scratchy when you touch it

is rough because of small projections rather than uniform abrasive grit
roughish
vsscabrous
5.4

Feels slightly rough to the touch

is distinctly rough from small projections rather than only mildly uneven

Antonyms

256 1.0

A surface that is even and not rough

Compounds

scabrous detail
  • Offensive
9.9

Shocking sexual or offensive details about someone's private life

How Rough

jagged
22 3.6
scabrous
1 9.9
rough
164 1.0
uneven
42 2.3
smooth
256 1.0

Surface Forms

scabrous positive

Morphology

scabrous = scab (transparent) = scab + rous

Meaning 'rough or scaly' is directly related to 'scab' (a scaly crust) plus the adjectival ending '-rous', so learners familiar with 'scab' can infer this sense.

Etymology

Scabrous comes from the Latin root scaber, which means 'rough', and is related to the English word scab, a hard skin on a wound. So scabrous is easy to remember as meaning 'rough to the touch' or covered with small bumps.