scrawny

adjective

Definition of scrawnynext
as in skinny
very thin in a way that is not attractive or healthy He changed from a scrawny kid to a brawny teen in just over a year. The only plants in their yard were a couple of scrawny bushes.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective scrawny contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of scrawny are gaunt, lanky, lank, lean, rawboned, skinny, and spare. While all these words mean "thin because of an absence of excess flesh," scrawny and skinny imply an extreme leanness that suggests deficient strength and vitality.

a scrawny chicken
skinny street urchins

When could gaunt be used to replace scrawny?

The words gaunt and scrawny can be used in similar contexts, but gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering.

a prisoner's gaunt face

When is lank a more appropriate choice than scrawny?

Although the words lank and scrawny have much in common, lank implies tallness as well as leanness.

the lank legs of the heron

In what contexts can lanky take the place of scrawny?

The synonyms lanky and scrawny are sometimes interchangeable, but lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.

a lanky youth, all arms and legs

When is it sensible to use lean instead of scrawny?

While the synonyms lean and scrawny are close in meaning, lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours.

a lean racehorse

When might rawboned be a better fit than scrawny?

While in some cases nearly identical to scrawny, rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment.

a rawboned farmer

When can spare be used instead of scrawny?

In some situations, the words spare and scrawny are roughly equivalent. However, spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise.

the gymnast's spare figure

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scrawny With that miniature battery, the company estimates the sports car could deliver a scrawny 250-kilometer range on Europe’s WLPT cycle, which equates to roughly 200 km (125 miles) by U.S. measures. —IEEE Spectrum, 15 July 2024 Nestor Lorenzo has managed Rodriguez well so far (Jamie Squire/Getty Images) A decade ago, Diaz was a scrawny 17-year-old from Barrancas with dreams of becoming a professional player. —Felipe Cardenas, The Athletic, 12 July 2024 Industrial breeding turned the scrawny, two-and-a-half-pound chickens of the 1920s into today’s six-pounders. —Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2024 Here, the body of a scrawny Jesus gushes blood, sending a rivulet of scarlet down his crucifix and onto the ground below. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 11 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for scrawny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrawny
  1. skinny
  2. thin
  3. slender
Adjective
  • The TikTok comments were replete with speculation that the friends may have even been skinny dipping—though Horton declined to confirm this.
    — Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
  • After what feels like years of obsessing over eyebrow trends (skinny, perfectly bushy, bleached) to treatments like lamination and microblading, learning to love the unruly swirls that appear in our brows just feels right.
    — Dulce Moncada, Glamour, 7 Apr. 2025
Definition of skinny
Adjective
  • The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Probably because its seven episodes constitute only a partial adaptation of The Last of Us Part II, whereas the nine-part first season covered the entire original game, the story is stretched too thin.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
Definition of thin
Adjective
  • With their lanky legs and slender necks, sandhill cranes stand roughly three to four feet tall.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Since the crescent moon is both very slender after the new moon and visible for only a short period in the west above the sunset, it may be sighted on Sunday, March 30, but more likely on Monday, March 31.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Definition of slender

Browse Nearby Words

scrawniness
scrawny
scream
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Cite this Entry

“Scrawny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrawny. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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