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scrawniness

scrawniness

1 8.2
Being very thin with little body fat
  • noun
  • /ˈskroʊnɪnəs/
translation icon : delgadez
  • The dog's scrawniness was a clear sign that it needed more food and care.

Examples

  • But your good looks have fallen prey to a certain scrawniness.

  • Bernstein noted the boy's scrawniness, in his T-shirt and shorts, as he permitted himself to be hugged by his mother.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • He was thin to the point of scrawniness, twenty-three years old though he looked younger, with the vacant-edged expression of a man who's collected enough kicks to the head that he's basically given up on life.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • His scrawniness made it difficult for him to find clothes that fit properly.

  • As she stepped onto the scale, her scrawniness worried her friends, who suggested she see a doctor.

Synonyms

thinness
vsscrawniness
2 2.3

A person who has very little body fat

is more negative and highlights an unhealthy lack of flesh
skinniness
vsscrawniness
1 4.9

Being very thin in a way that looks unhealthy

is more extreme and suggests a stronger lack of flesh
gauntness
vsscrawniness
1 8.4

A very thin appearance because of illness or not having enough food

is equally severe but focuses more on the simple lack of flesh
leanness
vsscrawniness
1 3.4

Having little body fat and being thin

is less positive and stresses missing flesh rather than fitness
slimness
vsscrawniness
1 2.7

Being thin in a way that looks attractive

is less about attractiveness and more about lacking flesh or fleshiness
bonyness
vsscrawniness
8.8

A state of being very thin so that bones show clearly

is similar but implies an even more unhealthy lack of flesh
boniness
vsscrawniness
7.9

Being very thin with bones clearly showing, often from illness or lack of food

is slightly more negative, stressing a greater absence of flesh
wasteness
vsscrawniness
  • Archaic
9.9

A very thin, weak body caused by illness or lack of food

is similar but can apply more generally to lacking flesh without illness
spareness
vsscrawniness
7.4

A thin body with very little fat

leans more toward being unhealthy, showing a lack of flesh

Antonyms

7 2.7

A state in which something has as much inside as it can hold

1 2.4

A soft, rounded fullness, like a kitten's body or a cheek

How Thin

emaciation
  • Specialized
1 8.6
gauntness
1 8.4
scrawniness
1 8.2
skinniness
1 4.9
thinness
2 2.3
slimness
1 2.7

Surface Forms

scrawniness singular
scrawninesses plural

Morphology

scrawniness = scrawny (transparent) = scrawny + ness

The noun is formed regularly from the adjective 'scrawny' with the productive suffix '-ness', giving the state or quality of being scrawny.

Etymology

Scrawniness comes from the adjective scrawny plus the ending -ness, where scrawny comes from old dialect words meaning 'thin' and -ness means 'state of'. A helpful image is a 'scrawny' person like a thin twig, so scrawniness means being very thin or lacking flesh.