straggling

6.0

Spread out in an untidy, scattered way, like houses far from a village

adjective
/ˈstræɡlɪŋ/

: desordenado

The straggling vines covered the old fence.

Examples

A few straggling houses stood apart from the main cluster of the village.
His straggling handwriting made the letter difficult to read.
The straggling vines crept across the old garden wall in every direction.
She noticed the straggling plants in the garden.
The garden was filled with straggling vines that grew in every direction.
His straggling handwriting made it hard to read the assignment.
They followed a straggling path through the forest, with branches growing wildly on either side.

Synonyms

sprawling

vsstraggling

26 4.4

Spreading out over a large area in an untidy way like a city or tree branches

emphasizes spreading but not the very large area involved

scraggly

vsstraggling

9 6.0

Thin and untidy in appearance, often with rough, uneven ends

describes irregular growth or arrangement without stressing thinness

straggly

vsstraggling

2 6.5

Having long, loose parts that look untidy, like hair or bushes

is untidy overall but does not stress thinness or tangles

rambling

vsstraggling

2 5.1

Twisting and spreading out in many directions like a path or stream

focuses on irregular shape or direction rather than general untidiness

scattered

vsstraggling

1 3.6

Not in order and difficult to understand or use

focuses on irregular growth or arrangement rather than simple disorder

sprawly

vsstraggling

1 8.2

Spreading out in an untidy way across a wide area, like a town or handwriting

means untidy spreading but not necessarily over a very wide space

scrambly

vsstraggling

7.6

Messy and jumbled so people cannot understand it

highlights irregular spreading or arrangement rather than jumble from mixing

scraggy

vsstraggling

6.7

Rough and uneven with many jagged edges

concerns rough texture or edges rather than scattered growth or arrangement

Antonyms

compact

60 4.1

Small and tightly packed so it does not take much space

orderly

55 2.4

Arranged in a tidy, organized way

How Scattered

straggling

6.0

scattered

1 3.5

sparse

31 5.0

compact

60 4.1

Surface Forms

straggling positive

Morphology

straggling = straggle (transparent) = straggle + ing

Standard adjectival present-participial formation from the verb 'straggle'; the meaning is directly derived and obvious to learners.

Etymology

Straggling comes from the same idea as stray, which means 'to wander away'. So, think of people, houses, or plants that have 'wandered' off from the main group and are left scattered and untidy; that's why straggling means spread out or arranged in an irregular way.