- very thin and bony; scraggy
- meagre or stunted
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
scrawn•y /ˈskrɔni/USA pronunciation
adj., -i•er, -i•est.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- very thin;
lean:scrawny kids.
scrawn•y
(skrô′nē),USA pronunciation adj., scrawn•i•er, scrawn•i•est.
scrawn′i•ly, adv.
scrawn′i•ness, n.
- excessively thin;
lean;
scraggy:a long, scrawny neck.
- Norwegian skran lean + -y1
- variant of dialect, dialectal scranny 1825–35, American.
scrawn′i•ness, n.
- gaunt, emaciated.
- fleshy, plump.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
scrawny /ˈskrɔːnɪ/ adj (scrawnier, scrawniest)
'scrawny' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):