scrawny
44
4.2
- adjective
- /ˈskrɔni/
- Informal
- Travel must have scrambled my metabolism, because normally I am on the scrawny side with an indifferent appetite.
- look scrawny
- scrawny kid
- scrawny boy
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Watch on YouTubeYou know, he's always been scrawny and weak in body.
- You know, he's always been scrawny and weak in body.
- And some of you thought I looked scrawny, some of you thought I looked ripped.
- Reminds me of The Golden Girls, but I like that the scrawny one likes hairless cats.
- And then finally, Joshua Larkin, Chip, I I should have said to him, scrawny.
- So this, this wide oscillation between fat cat and and and scrawny is not very good for any industry.
- So I'm kind of this scrawny, scrawny getting in my hometown going, yeah, I'm going to be a paratrooper.
Examples
-
You know, he's always been scrawny and weak in body.
-
His arms and legs were as scrawny as a child's.
Fiction book (1996) -
When he was in school, he was a scrawny little kid.
Fiction book (1997) -
I went from a scrawny little guy to an adult like this.
-
And some of you thought I looked scrawny, some of you thought I looked ripped.
-
As I stepped out of the car, scrawny children clustered around me.
Academic text (2012) -
A man with a scrawny ponytail and a woman with long dark curls.
Fiction book (1996) -
Leaning against the doorframe is a scrawny, wild-eyed youth, about sixteen.
Fiction book (1995) -
The shiny synthetics clung to her scrawny body like snakeskin.
Fiction book (1996) -
The child looked scrawny and undernourished after months of illness.
Synonyms
349
1.3
Very thin in a way that looks unhealthy
310
1.0
Having little body fat and a slim shape
140
2.5
Thin with little extra fat or money
91
1.0
Thin and with little body fat
31
2.5
So thin that you can see the bones under the skin
15
7.3
Very thin and pale from illness, hunger, or hard times
11
7.8
Extremely thin from illness or lack of food with bones showing
10
6.0
Thin and untidy in appearance, often with rough, uneven ends
8
3.1
Very thin and below a healthy weight for their age and height
6
7.1
Thin and graceful in a way that looks attractive
3
6.0
Very thin with bones showing under the skin
2
3.4
Thin so you can see or feel the bones
1
7.0
Very thin person with little or no fat
1
6.0
Very thin in a way that looks like a small branch
1
5.4
Very thin and weak, with little muscle
1
6.5
A person, often elderly, who is physically weak
1
7.9
Very thin and bony in a way that looks unhealthy
1
9.9
Thin and weak in body, often after an illness
1
4.5
An animal or object with a slim, narrow body
1
3.5
Having a thin, narrow body shape
1
4.6
Having a long thin body
Antonyms
How Thin
Surface Forms
Morphology
scrawny = scrawn + y
The adjective appears formed with the productive suffix '-y', but the root 'scrawn' is archaic/rare and not a recognizable standalone English word, so learners cannot reliably derive 'very thin' from the parts.
Etymology
The word scrawny is easy to remember if you think of the short word scraw, like a quick 'scratch' or thin line. That image of a small, thin scratch helps explain why scrawny means 'very thin' or 'bony'.