Skip to main content
scrambly

scrambly

1 8.6
Steep, uneven ground with loose rocks that you must climb using your hands
  • adjective
  • /ˈskræmbli/
  • Jargon
: rocoso
  • Climbers should be prepared for scrambly terrain with loose rocks and steep slopes.

Examples

  • We avoided the most scrambly section of the path because it looked too dangerous.

  • The trail became scrambly near the summit, forcing us to use our hands for balance.

  • The trail was very scrambly near the top.

  • Be careful on that scrambly path!

  • The climbers carefully navigated the scrambly path that required them to use their hands to grip the rocks.

  • Hiking up the scrambly hillside, she had to steady herself to avoid slipping on the loose stones.

  • They chose a scrambly route to the summit, where climbing required both caution and agility.

Synonyms

craggy
vsscrambly
9 5.7

Rough and uneven with many steep rocks or cliffs

is steeper and requires using hands to climb over loose stones
steep-sided
vsscrambly
1 4.3

A thing with sides that rise almost straight up

is steep but also uneven with loose stones requiring hands
scraggy
vsscrambly
1 6.7

Rough and uneven with many jagged edges

is steeper and requires hand support rather than just jaggedness
cliffed
vsscrambly
1 7.0

A place with steep rock sides along its edge

is steep yet more broken and needs hand use to climb
cliffy
vsscrambly
1 6.8

Full of steep cliffs and rocky edges

is steep but also covered in loose stones needing hands to ascend
scrabbly
vsscrambly
  • UK
1 9.9

Land that is rough and thinly covered with short bushes and small plants

is steep and needs hands to climb over loose stones and plants

Antonyms

224 1.0

A surface that is even and not rough

47 1.0

Having a flat surface

How Rough

craggy
9 5.7
scrambly
  • Jargon
1 8.6
rocky
8 3.0
uneven
48 2.3
smooth
224 1.0

Surface Forms

scrambly positive

Morphology

scrambly = scramble (transparent) = scramble + y

Derived from the climbing sense of 'scramble' with '-y' to describe terrain that has the quality of requiring scrambling.

Etymology

Scrambly comes from scramble plus -y, and scramble also means 'to climb using your hands' on rough ground. So a 'scrambly' path is steep and loose and may need your hands to move safely.