scruffily
- adverb
- /ˈskrʌfɪli/
:
desaliñado
- Despite their scruffily unkempt appearance, the group of friends was ready for a fun day out.
Examples
-
The artist often wandered around the neighborhood, scruffily clothed and with paint stains on his hands.
-
The very rich may sometimes dress scruffily or express an affection for common tastes, but their wealth naturally separates them from the rest of the public.
Blog text (19) -
He arrived at the party looking scruffily dressed in an old t-shirt and faded jeans.
Synonyms
5
2.9
In a careless, untidy way that makes things messy
1
1.4
In a messy way that leaves food or paint everywhere
1
4.4
In a way that looks old and not cared for
In a messy way with long, thick hair or fur
In a dirty, shabby way that looks old and untidy
In a dirty, dull way that makes things look old and not fresh
Antonyms
How Messy
Surface Forms
Morphology
scruffily = scruffy (transparent) = scruff + y + ly
The adverb is formed by adding the productive adverbial suffix '-ly' to the adjective 'scruffy', yielding a meaning directly derivable from the adjective.
Etymology
Scruffily comes from the small word scruff, once used for the rough hair at the back of the neck or for a messy person, plus the endings -y and -ly. Think of someone with messy hair at the neck and you can see why scruffily means 'in a messy, untidy, or shabby way'.